Dark Justice: Vengeance
by OVERLORDOZZ
Summary: Justice doesn't work. Justice doesn't avenge those innocent who suffer. I do. I don't serve Justice. I serve Vengeance.
1. No Mercy

**Seattle**

 **April 14** **th** **00:14**

Joey belonged to gang called the Black Fangs. He didn't know nor care about the name, only that he got paid to do less than savoury thing to ensure the gangs dominance. He joined last year, after getting kicked out of both college and home, and was approached by one of the leaders of the Black Fangs. He joined after hearing about the money he could make, and didn't care who got hurt in the process.

Now though, he was running for his life, his gang completely massacred at their hideout, with he himself only just escaping _It's_ wrath. It came out of nowhere, and started brutally killing all the gang members it could grab hold of. Knives melted in its body, bullets didn't do any better. Hell, a FUCKING ROCKET LAUNCHER only knocked it down, but it got right back up again while _laughing_! After he saw that, Joey cut his losses and ran from the hideout, the dying screams of his once fellow gang-mates echoing after him.

He turned into an alleyway and looked behind him, before running headfirst into a wall. Holding his head and standing up, he realised he ran into a dead end. He was about to start back when he heard something behind him. Spinning round, knife in hand, he froze and nearly crapped himself at the sight that greeted him.

It stood there, at the mouth of the alleyway, staring at him. Unmoving, its flames crackling in the silence and producing so much heat that Joey felt like melting even from 20ft away.

In a desperate bid to save his life, Joey dropped the knife and put his hands up. "Alright man, you got me. So just arrest me already 'cause I'm done with this shit!" He pleaded, not knowing it was hopeless. The _thing_ just stared at him with his empty, burning sockets.

"Come on man. Fucking take me in!" Joey panicked, getting more and more nervous. It just stared at him some more. Then, from its hand sprouted a chain, ending in a sharp, wicked looking hook. Joey paled, knowing exactly what it could do with that hook. Slice, Carve, Mutilate. Or just drag unfortunate souls into range so it could tear them apart with its bare hands. This thing had no intention of taking him anywhere. At least, not _alive_. It started towards him, the asphalt melting with its footsteps.

"The FUCK! Didn't you hear! I surrender!" It kept walking as Joey scrambled away, back pressed against the wall. There was no escape.

"You can't do this. You capes don't kill!" Its response was to grab the chain in its other hand and pull it taught. This also caused the entire chain to catch on fire. The thing stopped less than a foot away from Joey and peered down at him.

"Mercy." He pleaded one last time. He stared into the face of his killer, as it opened its charred, fleshless jaw

" _ **Sorry, all outta mercy."**_

The last thing Joey saw on this Earth war the burning skull of his murderer.

The next morning, all police could find were the broken, twisted bodies of the gang members. Some missing pieces and others only found as pieces. The only evidence of the killer where scorched marks along the walls, tracks of half melted asphalt and fire that only went out with the morning light.

The police had no _real_ suspects. But everyone knew who did it. The Spirit of Vengeance itself….

The Ghost Rider.


	2. No Boundries

**Star City**

 **April 21** **st** **22:37**

Roy Harper, also known as Speedy, was crouching atop an apartment across from a warehouse that had rumours floating round about a big deal going down tonight. Who was involved and what where they dealing for was still a mystery, so he was being very cautious. Peering through a pair of high-tech binoculars, he scouted out numbers of thugs, armaments and anything useful to figuring out why they were here. A sound from behind made him tense, but he relaxed slightly at the voice that followed.

"Found anything Roy?" Asked his mentor and adopted father Oliver Queen, rich business man by day and Green Arrow, vigilante and member of the Justice League, by night. GA crouched next to him and pulled out his own pair of binoculars to get his own view of the deal.

"Lots of guards, 40 plus out here, could be more inside. Nothing yet on why there here or who there waiting for." Replied Speedy in a completely business-like tone. In their special _partner_ ship, Speedy was the serious one to Green's jokey attitude in a rather strange twist of fate. What with the youngster being the serious one.

GA simply hummed in agreement to his son's rather curt reply, before noticing that a large car was pulling up from the north side entrance and had entered the warehouse, along with a good portion of the thugs leaving only a few to secure the place from snoopers and to keep a lookout. With a quick "That's our que" to Roy, both archers packed up their gear, fired a zip line arrow each, and descended silently towards the meeting.

 _Inside the warehouse._

Big Jim Johnson was not a man who liked to be kept waiting. As the leader of the Iron Fist Gang he was also very powerful, both in power and physical strength. He cut an imposing figure of 6'6" and arms like steel girders. No small wonder all his suits were hand made to order at great cost, but that was of no concern right now. He had been contacted by and anonymous source that offered large amounts of money in exchange for passage into the city and protection of their interests. Johnson would have told them to get lost, but the amount of money was too large to pass up. So here he was, at the assigned meeting place where a representative was meeting them to finalise the details. Normally he only dealt with the ones on top, but the money promised was enough for him to swallow his pride. _Only for tonight_ he thought to himself.

A car pulled up and broke Johnson out of his thoughts. 4 guards in suits got out along with a relatively average man in a plain suit, tailored but no specific style. He walked towards Johnson with a briefcase in hand, stopping a few feet away. His guards hung back and stood smartly waiting for instructions.

"Mr Johnson I presume?" The suited man spoke politely and clearly with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, who wants to know?" Jim demanded, clearly agitated about waiting so long.

"Me? I'm just a representative of the organisation I work for. For now call me Smith." The now-named Smith said completely unfazed by the angry tone used towards him. "But let's get on shall we?" Smith then set his briefcase on a nearby table and opened it. "Are we still agreed on the terms of our deal? You give us protection for our assets and in return we give you $15 million."

"Yeah, I accept the terms" Johnson agreed, already thinking about the new car and property expansions he'll buy with that sum.

"Excellent, please sign here so we have physical documentation of our agreement." Smith laid out a piece pf paper and a pen, a cheap ballpoint, on the table and Johnson signed his name on the dotted line without reading it, still fantasising about cars and broads. He handed the paper back to Smith, who just smiled and placed them back in the briefcase.

Before anything else was said, an arrow flew out of nowhere and struck a small group of guards, releasing a gas that knocked all five of them unconscious. This set all the gangsters on alert as they desperately searched for the source of the arrow.

Suddenly, two shapes dropped out of the darkness, landed on stacks of crates at the opposite end of the warehouse with bow strings drawn.

"Really nice of you to sign your name Jimmy. Almost saves time for the police on evidence, right kid?" Green Arrow joked to his protégé.

"It was pretty stupid of them. Now, do you want to come quietly or what?" Speedy directed the latter part at the confused thugs, the angry gang leader and the still smiling Smith.

"BRING ME THEIR HEADS!" Johnson bellowed at his grunts, shaking them out of their stupor and causing them to open fire on the Christmas-coloured archers. Both dived to the side and released their arrows, taking out thugs left, right and centre. Meanwhile, Smith was running to his car which was already running with all guards pilled in. As soon as he was in, the driver stomped on the throttle, sending the car screeching backwards. Once out the warehouse, the car did a j-turn and sped off into the night. Neither Green Arrow nor Speedy could do anything about it as they were too busy with the remaining thugs, although the numbers that were conscious where dwindling rapidly.

Johnson, seeing this was a losing battle, climbed into the passenger seat of a nearby SUV and along with 3 of his lieutenants and 2 pickup trucks full of desperate henchmen, decided to cut his losses and try to make a break for it. One of the pickups was quickly taken care of by an electric arrow to the engine, with the added bonus of taking out the occupants as well, but the other two trucks escaped.

After dispatching the last on-foot henchman, the archers grappled onto the roofs opposite and chased down the escaping criminals, leaving the others for the police who were just arriving on scene.

Little did they know someone, some _thing_ was also after the fleeing thugs

 _On an abandoned backstreet._

The 2 car convoy was speeding down the road when an arrow hit the front right tyre of the SUV, causing it to swerve to the right and crash into a parked car. The car behind slammed on the brakes, pulling up just shy of the crash. Suddenly, the two archers dropped on front of the crash and each drew an arrow. Immediately thugs began to pile out of both cars, and aimed their guns at the two archers standing in front of the wreckage. For five seconds, nobody moved. Until they heard the sound of an engine. Turning around, they saw a black muscle car at the last junction a couple hundred feet away. The darkness prevented anyone seeing the driver or any features of the car other than the large blower sticking out the hood. The engine revved powerfully twice, with a distinct whine from the supercharger. It then set off, back tyres smoking, and came towards them accelerating quickly.

"Destroy it. Now!" Johnson ordered his men and the rear most man, who was on the truck bed, grabbed a rocket launcher, aimed and fired. The rocket hurtled toward the car, which made no effort to dodge, and struck underneath the car sending it into the air on a pillar of flame.

What happened next neither heroes would ever forget.

The car was upside down, mid-flip, when it started to come back down. It landed on all four wheels, and kept accelerating, now with all four wheels and the engine bay on fire, with flames licking out the four intake holes on the blower. The thug along with everyone else was shocked, but he wasn't shocked enough to not dive of the truck a second before the demon car slammed into it with so much force, it flew through the air, crushed most of the thugs and slammed into the crashed pickup, killing the three lieutenants. The flames also set a fuel leak on fire, which cut off the Arrows from the thugs.

Both Green Arrow and Speedy were shocked stiff at what just happened, so much so that they could only watch as the only live henchman, the one who fired the rocket, tried to crawl away from something.

"Please! Please No!" He said before he was dragged out of view. A horrible slashing sound followed by a spray of blood confirmed the man's fate. Some hit Johnson in the face, blinding him to the punch that knocked him unconscious. He was dragged behind the Hell-Mobile and stuffed into the trunk.

The driver then appeared through the haze and both Green Arrow and Speedy got a glimpse of what caused so much death. And it terrified them.

Through the haze they could just make out a giant figure, covered in leather, and topped with a bare skull wreathed in fire. The mystery killer simply got into his car and drove away from the freshly murdered bodies and the two stunned vigilantes. The only evidence of his existence was 2 trails of fire that burnt tarmac and bodies alike.

After a few silent moments, Green Arrow turned to his sidekick.

"Go home Roy. I'll deal with this." He said with a tone that left no room for argument.

"What are you going to do?" Speedy replied, still reeling from what just happened.

"Explain what happened to the police, then contact Batman. He'll want to know about this." Came the grim-faced reply. Roy simply nodded, and ran off. Green Arrow watched him leave, then sighed and tapped his earpiece.

Batman, its Arrow. Meet me in Gotham. I have to tell you something…"


	3. No Morals

**Gotham City**

 **April 22** **nd** **00:04**

Underneath Wayne Manor lies the Batcave, the home of the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman. Inside the titanium reinforced, lead lined walls, all of the Batman's gadgets, costumes, and trophies are on display. These include a giant penny, a T-rex, and Deathstroke's sword. Near the secret entrance lies the Batmobile, a veritable tank on wheels. Loaded with all the gadgets that one can think of, it remains one of Batman's fastest modes of transport around the crime-infested streets of Gotham.

At the top of the various layers of the Batcave, taking pride of place, lay the Batcomputer. Gargantuan in size, this pinnacle of technology was where Batman researched cases, looked for clues and communicating with the league. Which is what we find him doing now.

Batman (or Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy, when not in the cape and cowl) sat at the monstrous computer, reviewing case files whilst waiting for Green Arrow to arrive. Contrary to popular belief, Batman does trust people (although very rarely) and have friends (even rarer). Green Arrow has both. He has Batman's trust, and Oliver Queen has Bruce Wayne's friendship.

 _ **-Recognized: Green Arrow-Designation: 08-**_

Batman turned towards the Zeta Tube installed in the Cave, just as Green Arrow exited. As he was walking towards Batman, an aged, well dressed gentleman seemingly materialised out of the shadows, equipped with a silver tray of sandwiches.

"I wish you had informed we were having guests Sir, I would have prepared. How are you tonight Master Oliver?" Alfred, butler, carer and friend to Batman, greeted Arrow with the manners befitting of a gentleman butler.

"I'm good Alfred. And, please call me Ollie." Ollie answered the man with clear respect in his tone. In fact, all Leaguers that had met the butler had a deep respect for him, due to his impeccable manners, dry wit and proficiency in field medicine due to his army training and many years of healing Bruce after long, hard nights.

However, that experience with Gotham's protector allowed Alfred to become very good at reading people, and Green Arrow showed clear signs of worry and distress.

"Sorry Bruce but I need to talk to you. Now." The urgency in Oliver's tone caused Batman to sit up a bit straighter.

What's wrong?" He asked, but neither he nor Alfred could have guessed what had GA so worried. He told them everything, their eyes betraying their emotions. Alfred's in both horror and disgust. Bruce's in disgust as well, but also anger and curiosity. Curiosity about potentially a new metahuman, and anger that they would use their powers to kill people. Criminals yes, but still human beings.

"He was unlike anything I've seen before Bruce. He practically radiated death. And rage….." He trailed off. Batman and Alfred became worried at the faraway look in Ollie's eyes.

"Oliver?" Batman said, uncharacteristically soft. Well, for him anyway.

"It scared me Bruce." They weren't expecting that. "Even though he didn't stop, I could feel his eyes boring into me, and I could feel him judging whether or not to kill me and Roy. Oh God Roy! How can he handle this if he felt the same thing?" Oliver exclaimed, his parental side showing something fierce. Not that either Bruce or Alfred could blame him. They would both react the same way if Dick had witnessed something so gruesome, even if he was raised in Gotham.

"Ollie." Batman broke GA out of his mild panic attack. "Go home and talk to Speedy. I'll look into it."

That simple sentence allowed Ollie to pull himself together, deciding that talking to Roy was more important than his own troubles. With no reply, Green Arrow practically sprinted down the steps and was through the Zeta Tubes in no time at all.

Alfred turned towards his ward who was already typing away at the Batcomputer, looking for any evidence on their elusive murderer.

"First thoughts, Sir?"

Batman simply stared at numerous news articles detailing various dead criminals and gangs with suspicious deaths.

"I don't know Alfred. I don't know…"

 **Central City**

 **May 8** **th** **21:04**

When in Keystone, you'll find that most crime is done in broad daylight. Why? Who knows? But it is, and The Flash is always there to stop them, often with a quip and a little help from his sidekick Kid Flash. And he always does it cleanly and with extra care towards the onlookers. Plus both Flashes stay behind to talk to their fans and the news crews. For these reasons, The Flashes are some of the most well liked superheroes around and Keystone remains, relatively, safe.

But not tonight.

Just outside a small gang hideout, The Scarlet and Yellow speedsters were about to bust in and dispense justice and one-liners in equal measure.

"Ready for this kid?" The Flash, real name Barry Allen, asked his partner, and nephew, Kid Flash, real name Wally West.

"Born ready Uncle Barry" Came Kid's cocky reply, already vibrating on the spot due to anticipation. Literally vibrating. His shoes were already starting to smoke.

Flash just chuckled good naturedly at his nephew's exuberance. "Then let's go!" However before they could even move, shouting and gunfire erupted from inside the hideout. Both heroes instinctively ducked, thinking they had been found out, but quickly realized that whatever the gang members were shooting at it wasn't them.

At that moment, a gang member was thrown through the door with such force the door exploded into matchsticks. Well, when I say gang member, it was more what _remained_ of a gang member. Everything below his ribcage was torn off, organs spilling out of the hole left. Blood coated what was left and poured out of various cuts and holes in the muscle and from the open mouth. Cold, lifeless eyes stared back at the Speedsters as they stood there, frozen in shock and only broken out by more screams of death from inside.

Tearing their eyes from the corpse, the zipped inside only to stop at the grisly sight that greeted them. Blood splattered the floor, walls, ceiling and every space in-between. Body parts and unidentifiable chucks of flesh and bone lay in piles that, presumably, was once a human being. Once again, screams broke them out of their horror-induced states. Taking of at a slower pace to avoid slipping in one of the many blood puddles, all the found was more gang members in various brutal death situations. One was even stuck to the wall, via a long machete embedded hilt deep in his head.

"No please! Please! Don't kill me!"

That sentence caused both Flashes to spin in the direction of the plea, and at the end of the hall way saw two shadows, one on its knees, and another standing menacingly over them. The second figure suddenly reached down and plunged his hand into the others chest. It gurgled and collapsed as the second shadow pulled something out and tossed it behind as they walked off. The object landed in view of the heroes, but they both wished it didn't when they saw what it was.

A skull and spine, dripping with blood, and with eyes still connected. It lay there, eyes staring hauntingly, almost asking _'Why? Why couldn't you stop this?'_

Kid Flash had tried to keep it in the moment the first dead gangster appeared, but the thought of someone doing such grisly deeds, killing in such cold blood. He couldn't keep it in any longer.

Barry tore his gaze from the lifeless gaze of the skull at the sound of his nephew vomiting all over the place. He tried rubbing his back as Wally covered the floor in yet more bodily fluids, but to be honest he felt like doing the exact same thing. But he swallowed it down and focused of consoling his entirely-too-young-for-this partner, and resolved to bring the man who did this to justice.

After Wally had finished dry heaving, they sped after the murderer with new fury rarely seen in Speedsters. They quickly caught up with the culprit just as he disposed of the last gang member, the leader who was trying to save his own skin whilst his subordinates perished. He ended up losing his skin, as the murderer removed it before flinging his peeled body, still alive into a fire to be cooked alive. The Flash didn't even wait for him to turn around, running at him and clocking him across the ribs and sending him flying into the wall. Hard.

It was only then that Flash noticed the burning sensation on his hand, the hand he just used to punch the killer. Looking down for a brief millisecond, he noticed that the knuckles of his glove was melted and charred. Wondering how that happened, he looked up at the man he had just punched, who was pulling himself out of the crater he had made in the wall. That moment gave the Flashes a brief glimpse of the attacker as well as the darkened room would allow. What they did see terrified both of them.

The man-no, _thing_ , was tall. Taller than most of the league. Completely dressed in black, the only part the speedsters could see was the outline of a head surrounded in fire. At first they thought it was Atomic Skull, but neither the profile nor the MO fit the supervillain. Its head looked at both of them, unnerving them to no end, but said nothing.

"Why?" Flash finally found his voice, although higher than usual, and asked the one question that was running around in both their heads. "How could you do this? They deserved justice. Not this!" He exclaimed, finding the rest of his courage.

The man-thing just stood there unmoving, and for a moment, they thought it hadn't heard them.

Then it spoke.

" _ **No. Not justice…. Vengeance."**_ It spoke in a low, unearthly tone that sent shivers of pure fear through Barry and Wally. It was the voice of someone much older and much more morally grey than even the Rouges.

And with that, it walked out the backdoor and into the alleyway, completely ignoring the two heroes. And even though Flash recovered nanoseconds after it left the door and followed, there was no sign of it. Only the trails of corpses left in its wake signified that what just happened, _happened_.

Kid Flash joined him seconds later, glad to be out of the blood soaked former hideout. "So what now Uncle B?" He still sounded shaken, which he probably was. Barry looked at his nephew tiredly.

"We'll call the police, give our statement and go home. I'll tell Batman tomorrow, but for now we need rest." Wally agreed with his uncle and waited in front of the hideout. After having their statement taken by and equally disgusted detective, the Central City speedsters headed for their respective homes, the nights events still not quite sunken in yet.

 **AN: I'm really sorry for not updating last week, but thanks to me having to use the computers at collage to write this, I can only work on it for a few hours a week. For being patient and writing reviews like the nice people you are, I'll try to get a chapter written and up every week, but don't expect consistency. Also, feel free to tell which girl (if any) you would like to see the Rider's host to show interest. So far I've got two suggestions, Zatanna or Hawkwoman.**

 **Again, thank you for your patience and for following and reviewing my story. It really means a lot!**


	4. No Regret

**Gotham City**

 **May 10** **th** **03:57**

Bruce was starting to see a trend in these visits. It's what he did. Anyway, this time it was, Barry that had arrived at the cave to talk to him. Unlike Green Arrow, he used the caves actual entrance, because him being who he is, it was quicker than the Zeta tubes. But like Oliver, Barry was good friends with Bruce, and Ollie. Probably due to their protégés forming a strong, almost brotherly, relationship.

When Barry said he needed to talk, he got a strange sense of déjà vu that only intensified when Barry started talking. Alfred walked in soon after Barry started and was paying just as much attention and Batman was.

When he finished his gruesome tale, Bruce told Barry about what Oliver had said 2 weeks ago. Barry was horrified at what this monster was capable of.

"Have you found anything about what we're dealing with B?"

"Tales and myths, but nothing concreate." Bruce responded, pulling up the surprisingly small amount of research the detective could find. "The rest is either lost to time or only available in physical format inside heavily guarded magical strongholds" And there was the reason. This was all that was available digitally.

Barry looked at various news stories and police reports about criminals being killed, and the diversity of the criminal types shocked him. Gangs, muggers, murderers, rapists, child molesters, drug dealers. There was no set type of criminal. No pattern. The only constant was the sheer brutality of the killings. And they were brutal. Skinned, cooked, beheaded, quartered, removed spines, crushed organs and many more besides. This killer was nothing if not creative in his work. It made Barry sick just thinking about it.

"So this… thing, is magical?" he asked after fighting his lunch down. Batman just nodded in response. He then pulled up one photograph on the screen. It was very blurry, so it was very hard to discern any fine details, but it was good enough to make out the vague shape of a tall man with his head on fire. Batman turned his head slightly to Barry, asking a silent question.

"That's him." That confirmation caused Bruce to scroll down to the article attached to the photo. It was form a non-descript, town newspaper, dated 6 months ago, from England. The head line of the article read: The Ghost Rider Strikes Again! And the paragraphs underneath detailed that this particular incident lead to the death of a known drug dealer that escaped a prison sentence due to lack of evidence.

"The views on this 'Ghost Rider' seem mixed. Some are disgusted with his methods. But some agree, saying that he is getting rid of people who abuse the justice system and ruin people's lives." Batman explained. "There are official warrants for his arrest, but the police force don't really try, because most of them agree with his dispatching of otherwise untouchable mob bosses and doesn't hurt civilians. They say it makes their jobs easier and that no one will lose any sleep over them."

Both Barry and Alfred were horrified. Alfred, however, could understand somewhat. These officers must be frustrated and annoyed, putting it kindly, that these know miscreants can walk away from any charges due to bribery, threats and connections. Barry however was very pro-life, thanks to his job as a forensic investigator, he had no desire to see any more dead bodies. And these officer blatant disregard for the victims, although criminals, was completely unjustifiable in his eyes.

"Tha-That's horrible! They may be criminals but they're still people. How can they say that?" Barry yelled, angry at the officers in question. Both Alfred and Bruce agreed with his statement, but didn't give anything away visually. Bruce shut down his screen and stood up.

"Go home Barry. Get some sleep." And with that, Bruce strode away, cape billowing behind him impressively. Barry looked like he wanted to rant some more, but held his tongue. In a flash of red and a gust of wind he was already on his way back to Central. Alfred simply straightened this jacket, and followed his master out of the Batcave.

 **Ocean City**

 **May 16** **th** **21:06**

If there was one thing both Aquaman and Aqualad hated, it was surface dwellers polluting the seas in which the Atlanteans call home. Granted it was an accident and the truck drive both thanked them from pulling him from his tipped trick and apologised when he saw the fuel tanker he was driving had split and thick, noxious diesel was spilling into the Atlantic by the gallon.

And another is bigots attacking them unjustly, claiming they should go home and leave the land to them, whilst they were helping clean up. The two heroes ducked behind cleaning equipment as bullets impacted the other side. Even though Atlantians are more durable than normal humans, evolved to survive the crushing depths of the sea, they weren't entirely bullet proof like Kryptonians. Plus these bigots were prepared, with more powerful ammunition that would penetrate their thick skin. Luckily, these were still civilians, so there shots were all over the place. King Orin, known on the surface as Arthur Curry, had counted at least 25 attackers before being forced to take cover. Next to him sat Kaldur'ahm, patiently waiting for his kings orders.

"My King, I have an idea." Kaldur'ahm said in a calm tone as he peeked over their cover, only to be forced back down, lest his head be taken off by the incoming fire.

Aquaman looked towards his young apprentice and smiled slightly. "Then let's hear it Kaldur'ahm."

"I shall create a distraction, whilst you sneak around and attack from behind." Kaldur told King Orin his plan. Aquaman simply nodded to convey his understanding. And with that, Kaldur drew his water bearers and jumped over the cover as the attackers were reloading. Forming two water whips from the now less polluted ocean, Kaldur flicked them forwards, sending them crashing into the enemy's cover and causing them to scatter. This was Orin's cue. He leapt sideways and ran towards the bigots as they peppered Kaldur'ahm's water shield. The shield was strong, but so were the bullets, and cracks were beginning to form across its surface. It had seconds before it broke. Aquaman had crossed the 50ft gap in seconds and delivered a very hard, yet nonlethal, punch to the side of a bigots head. Realising their friend was down, the two nearest turned towards him, but Orin quickly dispatched them with his trident. But by then the rest of the racists realized they'd been had, and swung their rifles towards him. Unfortunately, this allowed Kaldur to drop his shield and attack from behind, forming two water maces to bash the two nearest, taking them quickly, and painfully, out of the equation.

The heavily armed racists began firing towards the heroes, not caring if their own men got hit, causing both Atlanteans to protect the criminals from getting shot by their own side. No matter how much they wanted to leave them, they were heroes, and it was their job. As they were moving unconscious idiots behind cover, two near the centre retreated back to their trucks and opened two crates in the back. They then lay down their rifles and picked up RPGs, fully loaded, and ran back to the fighting. They took aim at an Atlantean each and pulled the triggers. Aquaman saw the rocket coming towards him and dived to the side, narrowly avoiding being blown to bits. Unfortunately, the rocket hit something behind him and the blast knocked him sideways. Whilst Kaldur tried to block his rocket with his water bearers, but the blast knocked him backwards into a large boulder. As he peeled himself out of the large rock, his king landed next to him, slightly smoking but no worse for wear. They both stood, ready to fight, but with 20+ guns aimed at them and two freshly reloaded rocket launchers, it didn't look good for them.

The leader stepped forward with a large rifle in his hands and an even larger smug grin on his face. He opened his mouth, 'Probably to start monologue-ing' Aquaman thought.

"Brothers," He was right. "Today our cause takes a significant victory. For today we rid this world of two ocean dwellers that don't belong on the surface. Come, let us reclaim our world from these creatures and restore humanity as the rightful owners of this planet." He finished as the group of would be killers cheered. As they were about to open fire, a strange sound made everyone pause. It sounded like a roar mixed with a screech. But that that was quickly outclassed by a truly deafening roar, like those made by the war machines of Hell. Then it appeared in a flash of flame. Everyone could clearly see what it was, but no one knew what it was as it skidded to a stop not 15 feet away from the standoff. As the driver door opened, all the street lights undamaged by the fire fight blew, dropping the surrounding area into darkness. This put the racists on edge but not as much as what stepped into view out of the hellish chariot. A large- _thing_ -stepped out, clad in black, heat wreathed in fire so hot both heroes felt burned just looking at it.

Aquaman felt its eyes pass over him and Kaldur'ahm, judging them, then it turned its gaze towards the group of heavily armed racists. The look unnerved them even more than it did Orin, until the leader could take it no more.

"Well kill it!" He shouted at his men, and one man reacted quicker than the others and let loose, his rifle spitting bullets at the unknown entity. However this did nothing, as it failed to react to the bullets impacting its body. It simply pulled back its left arm, and swung it forward. A chain appeared in his hand, then grew to an obscene length and wrapped around the gunman. The end glowed orange, before it ripped its hand back to the side, the chain spinning the flailing gunman before he disintegrated into ash as he fell. It happened so fast both groups could only stare in shock at the pile of dust that was a human being a few seconds ago. This pause was apparently what the creature was waiting for.

Dropping a chain out of his right hand, he charged towards the bigots, swinging his chains and cackling as he decapitated, bisected and mutilated them. As their numbers dropped rapidly and the odds shifted against them, the leader tried to slip away in the massacre. Unfortunately for him, Aquaman and Aqualad chose this time to break out of their shock, and saw him trying to slip away. Kaldur quickly swung his water whips around his legs, causing him to fall on his face, as he was held there, a chain wrapped around the water whips, evaporating them and allowing him to be dragged towards the flame headed entity, who was done killing the rest, and was ready to finish the job. Thinking quickly, both Kaldur and Orin rushed forward, grabbed him around the waist and chest and dug there feet into the ground. However the entity was stronger than even two Atlanteans, as their feet began sliding across the floor. In response, the pulled harder, ignoring the man's screams of pain as they engaged in a sick game of tug of war, both sides evenly matched. Eventually something had to give, and it happened to be the thing they were fighting over. With a loud scream of agony, his legs were torn off, both flying towards the killer as the two heroes and the now legless bigot fell the other way. The entity began to walk towards them, causing the Atlanteans to tense in preparation, when it suddenly stopped, tilted its head slightly, and after a few moments, turned around to leave. This sudden change in behaviour shocked the heroes, allowing it to climb into its hell machine and leave with a loud mechanical roar.

For a few moments after it left, they sat in silence (the bigot leader had fallen unconscious from shock) until the paramedics and police arrival shocked them out of it. As they informed the authorities about what happened and the paramedics carted of the leader for surgery, the atmosphere was tense. And as they were walking away, Orin heard the sergeant that had taken there statement talk to the detective on site.

"….you think it's him?" the sergeant asked.

"All the other witnesses claim the same thing. Big dude with his head on fire brutally killed all of them with flaming chains. You know anyone else that fits the description?" the detective responded gruffly.

"No, just making sure." The sergeant sighed, and looked at the covered bodies. "Well, no big loss to society." He joked. The detective wanted to reprimand him, but he thought the exact same thing.

Orin was shocked that the officers knew who did this and didn't seem to care. He promised himself he would look into this later. But for now, he needed to get home and get some sleep, as did Kaldur'ahm. It had been a very draining day. They began to walk to the nearest Zeta Tube to go home, but Kaldur looked troubled. Worried about his young partner, Orin laid a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll talk tomorrow, for now get some sleep." Kaldur nodded, and together they disappeared back to Atlantis.

 **Watchtower**

 **May 19** **th** **15:36**

Aquaman strode forward with purpose. That purpose: to talk to the one man that might have answers to what happened a few nights ago. Batman.

He found the man in question talking to Green Arrow and Flash in hushed whispers. Orin strode right up to them and waited patiently for them to finish. Soon after, Batman turned to him and silently asked what he wanted.

"I need to talk to you. Now" Orin told him firmly, yet politely. Batman simply raised an eyebrow, but under the mask this was unnoticeable.

"About?" He said simply. It was all he needed to ask about.

"A new meta-vigilante. One that uses lethal force." Orin noticed how all three stiffened at these words, and he wondered why.

"Did he have his head on fire?" Batman asked, hoping that he was right, yet wrong at the same time.

Orin was shocked. How did he know? "Yes."

Green Arrow became several shades paler and Flash looked like he was about to be sick. Batman went very still. A few moments passed, before Batman finally said something.

"Follow me" He directed at not just Orin, but GA and Flash as well.

He swept down the corridor, back the way Orin came from. They soon arrived at the Zeta Tubes and, after inputting a lengthy command, disappeared in a flurry of Zeta particles, With Green Arrow and Flash following after. Wondering where they were going, he followed.

 _ **-Recognized: Batman-02-**_

 _ **-Green Arrow-08-**_

 _ **-Flash-04-**_

 _ **Aquaman-06-**_

As he stepped out of the Zeta Tube, Orin immediately noticed the gloominess of his surroundings. Looking upwards, he noticed a ceiling made out of natural rock with lots of bats hanging from the titanium supports. He wandered down to a lower platform, where Batman, Green Arrow and Flash had already assembled in front of a massive computer.

"A new vigilante has been discovered. He is likely a meta and uses lethal force to take down criminals. I started to compile known evidence about him, but very little is available digitally. Here is what I have so far." Batman then pulled up a small widow displaying very little about it. At the top stood the name the papers had given it.

"The Ghost Rider? Hmm, fitting." Green Arrow remarked, a slight smirk on his face but with no real effort. Even he was being serious when discussing this thing.

"Reports stop 50 years ago, but start back up 14 months ago in England. This 'Ghost Rider' seems to have no boundaries, no morals, and no mercy. He just kills criminals and leaves. People will soon be calling for a league response, but I want to keep as many people in the dark about this as possible. If someone gets wind of this, tries to stop it and gets killed, the criminals of this world will fight tooth and nail to capture this thing to use against us. Right now people think he is a myth. Let's keep it that way."

Batman then showed his list of suspected crimes on a much larger window. Orin, Ollie and Barry were shocked that anyone, outside of the Joker, could create so much death.

"He mostly targets gangs, but has been known to stop muggings and rape attempts. However sometimes he attacks random people, such as a school teacher and a detective, which lowers his public opinion. But it's still mixed on his methods." Batman continued.

"A school teacher? And people still think this guy's right to do this!" Barry all but shouted in rage at what he'd just heard.

"I thought so too, until police found multiple hard drives full of child pornography, most of whom were taken forcefully, and pictures of his students in compromising positions. This suggests he blackmailed the children into sending him erotic pictures. The police never knew about this, and agreed that killing this man was for the best." Batman spoke in a tone that betrayed he was disgusted by both the paedophile and the police for not caring.

"Even so this man should have faced justice, not been killed." Green Arrow spoke up next. Even though he is usually the joker in the league, along with Flash, they were both taking this matter very seriously.

"Do you have an image of this person?" Asked Aquaman after a short silence. Batman said nothing, and pulled up an image, slightly blurry, of the meta in question. The image showed a man about 6'4" tall, dressed in a leather biker jacket, dark jeans and combat boots. His hands were covered in leather driving gloves and he was holding a chain which ended in a vicious looking hook. His head was a skull, bare of any flesh and wreathed in fire. Even through the still image, the eyeless sockets seemed to bore into the very souls of the four heroes.

For the heroes that didn't get a good look at him, seeing him for the first time was quite scary. Now they felt that they didn't want to meet this thing on the streets as enemies. But they were heroes, and it was their duty to catch criminals and defend from those who break the law. And murder is against the law.

"Can you track his movements?" Aquaman inquired after his voice had returned.

"Not track, but I have run simulations on previous sightings and have a few possible predictions of where he will turn up next. And a large portion of them point towards Gotham and the surrounding areas." Batman pulled up a map showing all the simulations and possible next appearances of the Ghost Rider. And as he said, most showed Gotham as the next target.

"Will you need any help if he does show?" Flash asked. Batman was known, among other reasons, for being very protective of his city. He didn't like other meta superheroes or vigilantes in Gotham. Flash, however, was an exception. Unlike Superman, who destroyed 3 city blocks every time he had a fight, Flash controlled his speed on the streets, preventing them from being ripped to pieces when he ran. He was also very mindful of other civilians in the line of fire, and will go out of his way to get them to safety. For these reasons, Batman allowed Flash to help out in Gotham when things required a bit more help than Batman alone could achieve. Green Arrow was also allowed because of his down to earth, albeit jokey, perspective on crime. And Black Canary was a resident of Gotham, so she could come and go as she pleased.

"…. I'll call if I need anything." That was all the confirmation they needed. Batman would only call them if things got really bad. Otherwise…

He was going to take on the Ghost Rider alone.

 **AN: Sorry guys for the long wait once again. College is starting to pile up on me so updates will be down to once every fortnight. Sorry about that.**

 **Anyway, the characters that people have suggested for (possible) interest are:**

 **-Zatanna**

 **-Hawkwoman**

 **-Miss Martian**

 **-Rocket**

 **If you have a suggestion, feel free to leave a review and tell me your idea. I'd love to hear from you. Once again sorry about the lack of updates and thank you for favoriting and being patient.**

 **Next time: Batman and Ghost Rider go one on one in an epic battle…. Probably…**


	5. No Difficulty

**Gotham City**

 **May 30** **th** **22:06**

Gotham City dump. In a city where trash, violence and misery are run-of-the-mill occurrences, the dump is decidedly normal. Heaping mountains of garbage broke up the landscape, giant piles of rusted metal and rotting food causing all kinds of unpleasant smells, rats scurrying between holes in the rubbish heaps and potential food, and a gang of humans plotting the downfall of Gotham and the uprising of mutant-kind.

Well. Normal by Gotham standards anyway.

The gang was called, rather unimaginatively, the Mutant gang and their goal was to take control of Gotham and, eventually, the world. Simple minded goals for simple minded criminals. However, this was Gotham. Home of the Batman. And nothing happens in his city without him knowing about it.

The Mutant Leader climbed onto his large pile of garbage, lit his exhaust pipe torch and looked to all the gang members that stood around him. They all held some kind of weapon: crowbars, wrenches, baseball bats or other cobbled together hunks of scrap. Only a few higher ups had guns and they were mostly rifles with more rust on them than most bridges. They all wore punk/biker gear and all wore visors. The Leader was bare chested despite the cold night and was presumably in peak physical condition. He held up his torch.

"They think us just noisy kids! They do not think we are a threat! But when the streets run red with their blood and Gotham belongs to the Mutants, then they shall see. They shall all see!" He bellowed into the night. The gang members roared in response to their leader's words, agreeing totally with his deranged plans.

Hiding in the shadows, not so far away from the gathering, stood a solitary figure. Shrouded in darkness, the only thing vaguely visible was the white lenses of his cowl. Batman surveyed the gang members, cataloguing weapons, positions and many other factors that would help him win the fight that would assuredly go down. Next to him, a much smaller figure stood surveying the scene. This was Robin, Batman's young protégé. And when out of uniform, he was Dick Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne.

Robin looked up at his mentor, silently asking when to attack. Batman met his look with one of his own. A brief glance was all that was needed, as the Dynamic Duo leapt into action, taking out 4 guards before the rest even noticed they were there. The Mutant Leader was quick to rally his subordinates.

"Challengers to our rule. Deal with them!" The man-idiot spoke few words, but they had the desired effect. The stunned gang members quickly rallied and charged towards the vigilante and his young sidekick, yelling at the top of their lungs as they approached…

Only to go flying backwards, unconscious and with broken bones, courtesy of a quick, powerful hit from either one of them. Yet for every one that they knocked out, 3 more filled the gap. Soon they would be overwhelmed.

Batman narrowed his eyes at the amount of gang members that were charging towards him. He hadn't seen this many to begin with. That could only mean they were lying in wait for something to happen.

' _They were waiting for us.'_ He thought grimly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two of the five gunmen taking aim at him. With a practiced flick of the wrist, two batarangs shot from his hand and sliced the gunmen's, causing them two drop their guns and sent them skidding away. Now unarmed, the men could only widen their eyes as Batman charged at them and knocked them both out with a well-aimed roundhouse kick.

Meanwhile, Robin had dealt with two of the other gunmen when he was distracted by three thugs who thought they could overwhelm him with their bulk and numbers. This theory was quickly disproven by Robin as he quickly, and mockingly, flipped over them and laid them out with a few punches that a normal child shouldn't know how to do. But Robin was no ordinary child.

"Hahaha, these guys think they can rule Gotham? Unlikely. They can't even hold the junkyard in their control." Robin said as he flipped over another assailant with his incredible agility, letting loose one of his signature cackles when he send one more gang member on a one way trip to la-la land.

"YOU DARE MOCK US CHILD! I'LL SHOW YOU WHY WE WILL RULE GOTHAM!" The Mutant Leader roared as he charged Robin. His eyes widened, and he dived out of the way of the charging brute just in time. Despite his vast height and muscle mass, he was astoundingly fast. He recovered quickly and closed in on Robin in no time at all. The Boy Wonder threw a few rapid fire punches that were either dodged or blocked. Fast reflexes were added to the mental list in Robin's head. He was brought back to the present as another punch was blocked and countered, catching him off guard and sending him flying into a pile of rotting food.

' _Possible training as well.'_ Rob thought as he poked his ribs, only to retract when pain shot through them. _'Defiantly broken. Ow.'_ He lifted his head up to see the leader now facing Batman, who had jumped in when he saw his young ward in danger. Surprisingly, Batman wasn't pasting him into the dirt, the leader matching the Caped Crusader blow for blow. The rest of the gang members (or those still conscious anyway) formed a ring around them, allowing their leader his one on one fight with the Dark Knight.

With everyone's attention on the fight, no one noticed the last gunman suddenly have a hand over his mouth.

No one noticed him be pulled into the shadows.

No one heard the snapping sound that followed.

And no one noticed the black clad figure start to step towards the crowd.

Meanwhile Batman was starting to struggle against his opponent. The Leader was obviously at peak fitness, his speed and reflexes allowed his blocks and counters to throw the Dark Knight off guard momentarily and his fighting style was something in itself. It was the kind of style that someone gets from years of defending themselves on the streets rather than studying under a master as Batman did. The blocks were constructed in such a way that minimum damage was taken by the blocker and forced the attacker into leaving themselves open to counterattack. The blows were a mix of fast jabs into joints to disorientate, heavy blows into the ribs and stomach for damage and kicks to the legs to gain breathing room. Batman had to begrudgingly agree that this man was one of the better skilled fighters he had faced in a while. With proper training, this man could become a deadly adversary.

But right now, he had to force all those thoughts to the back of his mind and focus on the fight, as he leaned backwards to narrowly avoid a right cross to the head. With his focus now entirely on the fight, one might be forgiven for not noticing the fact that 3 more gang members standing near a large shadow seemed to have disappeared. Or that a large figure, half covered by shadows, seemed to be watching the fight.

Batman threw a right cross followed by a left jab, both were blocked. He then tried several rapid-fire hits to try and get the Leader to back off. But he blocked all the hits and even retaliated with a couple of his own. Batman quickly blocked these, but not quick enough to dodge the kick that sent him skidding through the dirt. Getting to his feet almost instantly, Batman used the time to re-evaluate his opponent. _'If I can't fight directly, I'll have to fight tactically.'_ Thought Batman as his eyes darted around looking for anything that would put the Mutant Leader at a disadvantage. Spotting something, he quickly threw a smoke bomb at his feet and disappeared from view.

Unfortunately, the Leader was more perceptive than Batman thought, as he quickly looked around and found him using a pile of garbage to sneak behind him. Reacting quickly, he blocked Batman's sneak attack, and followed up with several quick, strong hits of his own to the Caped Crusader's Kevlar covered chest. When Batman grabbed both his arms, he dragged him in close and delivered a vicious head-butt to the exposed part of Batman's face. This disorientated him enough to leave him defenceless against the brutal boot to the chest that sent him flying into a heap of refuse.

Bruised, bleeding, disorientated and with several cracked ribs, Batman watched as a blurry Mutant Leader made his way to the Dark Knight. He could vaguely make out Robin shouting at him to get up, and the Mutant Leader preaching to his 'brothers' about the death of the city's protector and how 'nothing can stand in their way now'. Then, as Batman's vision started to clear, the Mutant leader stopped, and turned. Batman looked past him and saw what had caused the Leader to pause.

On one side of the perimeter of gang members, more than a dozen were laying on the ground, motionless. Batman could see from his position that their necks were snapped. Suddenly some one behind them screamed. They whipped their heads round, only to be greeted by the sight of several weapons laying on the ground, where there were mutants not 5 seconds ago.

This revelation spooked the remaining gang members to new heights, setting them all on edge. Two found rifles from earlier in the fight and now wielded them with all the grace and skill of a hamster in control of an Aston Martin.

The more Batman looked around, the more gang members disappeared when he was looking away. Soon the total number was 30, including the Dynamic Duo and the Leader himself. A noise caught everyone's attention, as they turned just in time to see one of the mutant members be dragged of in to the shadows with what looked like a chain. A sickly, wet snapping noise was heard a split second later, followed by the late members visor falling into view. This frightened the mutants so much, the two with guns opened fire on the shadows, the silence broken by gunfire and furious bellowing from the two idiots. 3 seconds later, their guns clicked, signalling they were out of ammo, and silence descended upon them once more.

A few moments past and, with an order from the Leader, an unlucky Mutant walked shakily towards the shadows. As he got there, a thud caused them all to spin in its direction, seeing only 2 empty rifles lying in the mud. Turning back, they all saw the scout about to say something, only for a chain to wrap around his throat. As he gagged and clawed at it, trying to breath, the chain was whipped back with such force, his head was torn clean off his body. Blood spurted everywhere and the body stood still for a second, before falling forward and exposing the stump where a man's head used to be. Everybody was shocked with the brutality, but the Mutant Leader covered this up with heaping piles of stupidity.

"COME OUT AND FACE US COWARD! DO NOT HIDE IN THE SHADOWS!" He bellowed in to the night.

His reply was a few seconds of silence, before a dark chuckle, that put the fear into even The Batman, echoed around the junkyard. Then it stopped, and spoke.

" _ **Be careful what you wish for…"**_

Suddenly, two gang members in front of Batman and the Mutant Leader were grabbed from behind by a large pair of hands, encased in black leather gloves. A quick jerk and an equally quick snap later both were lying on the floor dead. The shadows suddenly lit with orange light, and the mysterious killer revealed himself.

Standing easily taller than Batman, he wore heavy looking black leather boots, dark straight cut jeans, a large leather jacket covering his equally large frame and the aforementioned gloves. In each of his hands he held a thick steel chain that dangled down towards the ground and ended in a vicious looking hook. But his head held everyone's attention.

A skull, void of any flesh, wreathed in fire so hot that both Batman and Robin could feel the heat from 35ft away. Its eyeless sockets seemed to burn anyone it swept its gaze over. To the Mutants, it looked like Satan himself. To Robin, it was a foe that he knew he would have little to no chance of beating. But to Batman, it was Death. To all those who sinned.

The Ghost Rider.

Its jaw opened, and a deep, dark, demonic voice crept out.

" _ **You might not like it."**_

As soon as it finished, it sprang into action with unhuman speed. With a flick of its arms, the chains glowed orange, extended to impossible lengths, and sliced through multiple gang members each. The superhot chains ripped and tore at cloth, flesh and bone with equal ease. Some were sliced in half widthways, causing their organs to fall out as they screamed in agony before they perished. Some were hit with so much force they exploded into pieces. Bits of skin, skeleton and sinew peppered the area like shrapnel from a bomb blast. And others were sliced to pieced, but died from their body parts caching fire and quickly turning to ash. Meanwhile the Rider cackled maliciously as it literally tore through the swathes of enemies.

Distracted by the death of their comrades, the two holding Robin didn't notice their slacking grip until Robin broke both free and their noses before making his way to Batman. Mindful of his injuries, Robin helped his mentor onto his feet, acting like a crutch while Batman found his balance. They then both turned to the carnage, only to find that all the gang members were dead or dying, and that the Mutant Leader was getting the shit beaten out of him by the Ghost Rider's bare hands. Every time the Leader swung a punch, the Rider blocked it with a casual movement and countered with a vicious punch aimed for maximum damage. Soon the pain became overwhelming, and the leaders hits were becoming slower and slower. But the Rider had no sympathy. Catching a weak cross in his grip, he began mercilessly pounding the Mutant Leader repeatedly in the face, ribs and abdomen. The Leader felt his ribs break, then his teeth, then more ribs. His guts felt like they were ruptured. His lungs felt like they were on fire, as did his skin in general. The final hit was an uppercut that was so hard it caused the Leader to backflip and land face first into the mud.

The once great and powerful (not really) villain now lay on the floor of his dump, covered in blood, organ tissue and bruises, barely conscious as the Rider looked down on him, the mystical flames not dampened by the rain. The Spirit of Vengeance stared down at the beaten criminal, the empty sockets of his skull somehow conveying the rage held inside. Slowly, the Leader got onto his knees. Staring up at the murderous biker from hell, he summoned all his strength just to talk.

"Go on then. Do it." He spluttered, blood beginning to fill his lungs and dribble from his lips.

The Rider said nothing. He just dropped the end of one chain and swung his arm to wrap it around the gang leader. With it circling several times around his body, there was no chance of escape.

" _ **Repent your sins."**_ It spoke in its deep, dark tone.

"….." The Leader had no strength to reply, so he simply glared at the Rider.

" _ **Then BURN!"**_ As the Rider roared, the chain began to glow a hot orange. The Mutant Leader began to burn and crack. Despite being weak, the pain tore a scream from his lips that would haunt Batman and Robin for the rest of their days. Soon the heat turned the Mutant Leader into a cracked statue, its face one of agony. With a quick snap, the chain tightened and smashed the statue, the rubble becoming gravel and ash as they hit the floor. The Mutant gang was eradicated, and their leader was no more.

Robin was in shock. Although living in Gotham and being the Dark Knight's protégé exposed him to plenty of violence and death, the brutality of the kills tonight had overwhelmed him to such a degree that he was no longer aware of his surroundings. His eyes were glued to the spot where The Mutant Leader, a man who nearly bested Batman, just had the fuck kicked out of him before being murdered in cold blood.

Batman, however shocked, was more than aware of what just happened. Dozens of people had been murdered. In his city. And the murderer was standing in front of him. Of course Batman was going to take him in.

Or try to anyway…

Pushing through the pain, Batman reached onto his belt and pulled out two explosive batarangs. Steeling himself for the upcoming fight, he threw the small blades towards the leather clad monster. They hit his back with a resounding boom, and threw up a large amount of smoke. However, as the smoke cleared there was no damage. In fact, the only difference was that now the rider was focused on a new target. Batman.

Said vigilante dropped into a fighting stance with muscles tensed. The pain was palpable, but his immense training and physical conditioning allowed him to ignore it for the time being. He nearly dived to the right as the Ghost Rider flicked his arm, but its purpose was to wrap the loose chain around his forearm. The hellish weapon slinked around the leather covered appendage like it was alive, and covered the whole forearm in metal links. It stopped moving and stayed there, with no obvious end/beginning to the chain. The Rider himself just stared at Batman, as if wondering why he would attack him whilst injured.

In truth, the Rider was asking a very different sort of question. But that's for another time.

The flame headed entity suddenly charged forward, intending to knock Batman over. Except Batman dodged at the last second, spun round and delivered a vicious kick to the Rider's back. This did nothing except send a brief wave of pain up Batman's leg. It was like kicking a wall made of lava. The Rider grabbed his outstretched leg and pulled, hyper-extending it and causing Batman to lose his already precarious balance. He fell forward, right into the path of a fist, courtesy of the Rider. Flying backwards and skidding in the mud, Batman looked through bleary eyes as the Ghost Rider strode up to him, reached down and grabbed him by the scruff of his cape. Lifting him up, the Rider brought Batman directly to his face. Batman struggled, but the earlier injuries had begun to take their toll on his body. The Rider's superior height meant that Batman's feet were actually off the ground, a fact Batman knew as he scrambled for a footing. The Rider leaned in close to his face so close he felt the burning heat of the flames even through his cowl.

" _ **Don't do that."**_ It spoke in Batman's face, the demonic tone hitting him full force. He was then dropped, unceremoniously, to the floor. Batman was shocked as the Rider began walking away, seemingly done with Batman. However, before he got far, a red disk hit him in the back and exploded, sending him stumbling. Robin dropped in front of Batman, two more bird-a-rangs in hand, tensed for a fight.

"What are you doing?" Batman demanded, fear for Robin's safety leaking into his demeanour.

"Saving you. Duh." Robin replied cheekily, but inside he was scared. This guy just threw around Batman like a ragdoll. _Batman!_ And Robin was nowhere near his mentor's level. But that wouldn't stop him from trying.

By now the Rider had regained his balance and turned around slowly, looking directly at Robin with empty sockets. Robin glared back. For ten seconds, they did nothing but stare at each other. Robin made the first move, throwing both bird-a-rangs at the Rider. However, before they had covered half the distance, the Rider whipped his right arm across his body. A chain shot out and destroyed both explosive discs mid-flight. Then he flicked the same arm towards Robin, the chain followed his commands and wrapped around the Boy Wonder's torso, binding his arms and rendering him defenceless. Before he could even try to escape, he was dragged towards the Rider until he was right in front of the corrupt spirit. At this point, robin began to truly fear the Rider. And as the Rider looked down at him, he also thought this was where he was going to die. He closed his eyes and waited. And waited. Until…

" _ **Innocent."**_ Was the only thing Robin heard before he felt the chains retreat from his body. Quickly opening his eyes, Robin saw the Rider walking a short distance before putting two fingers to his teeth and whistling. Somehow. Before he could ponder this anymore, he was cut off by a thunderous roar that sounded like a thousand souls being tortured in horrendous ways.

Or a Friday night in one of the rougher areas of Gotham. Same thing.

Then from around a large trash heap, a car appeared. But unlike any car Robin had ever seen. At a glance, it had the shape of a classic American muscle car, with a hood scoop poking through the hood. But with this one, fire licked at the edge of the hood where the scoop was. The scoop itself had fire leaking out of the air intakes on top. But the biggest otherworldly feature was that the wheels and tyres were covered in fire. Or so it seemed because when taking a closer look, Robin realised that there were no tyres or wheels, only fire. The car had wheels _made_ of fire!

The hellish car pulled up next to the Rider and opened the door, revealing an empty driver seat.

' _A car that drives itself and has wheels of fire… Got to admit, it's kinda cool.'_ Robin thought as the Rider climbed into his ride. With a roar of the powerful engine, the war machine drove away, out of the dump and into the night, leaving parallel trails of fire in its wake. As much as Robin wanted to follow (or not), a groan from behind reminded him of his injured mentor that needed attending first. Running back to Batman, he helped him up and allowed himself to be used as a crutch. As they waited for the Batmobile to get to them, Robin broke the silence that had descended over them with the question that was on his mind since _he_ appeared.

"Batman, what was that thing?" He asked tentatively.

Batman remained quiet for an unusually long time. When Robin thought he wasn't going to answer, Batman drew in a breath and spoke.

"Something you shouldn't have seen or fought." He answered cryptically. Robin knew from experience that was all he was getting. Didn't mean he liked it, but he knew better than to pry. The Batmobile chose that moment to arrive. After helping Batman climb in and doing so himself, the Dynamic Duo was soon on their way back to the Batcave.

 **Batcave**

 **May 31st 01:06**

After being hounded by Alfred for medical attention, both Bruce and Dick now sat/stood in front of the Batcomputer studying the footage from their cowl's and mask's lens mounted cameras. Specifically, footage of the Ghost Rider, as Robin knew his name now is. Soon after they started, Alfred joined them just in time for the Rider to reveal himself. He also saw what the Rider did to the gang members. He had heard Green Arrow's and Flash's reiteration of what the Rider was capable of, but seeing it for himself was so horrifying that he was nearly sick. Robin, who had missed a good portion of what happened, disgusted by what this 'Ghost Rider' did, barely kept his lunch down himself. Bruce, who was also disgusted, was too busy studying how the Rider fought, so that he was better prepared next time they fought. He was so engrossed that Alfred had to tell him that the Bat signal had been lit.

"Robin, go to sleep. You have school tomorrow." Was all he said before climbing into the Batmobile, despite his injured ribs, and drove off to whoever needed to speak to him.

 **Gotham City Police Department Headquarters**

 **May 31** **st** **01:54**

Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon was having a very bad night. Being the police commissioner in a city like Gotham, he always had bad nights. But tonight, this took the biscuit.

He had just got back from the city dump where the mother of all massacres had gone down. Coroners where down there, still determining causes of death for the bodies. Worse still, detective found some of Batman's gadgets on scene. The more prevalent bat-haters thought that Batman tore those men to pieces, but the smarter officers pointed out that whilst skilled, Batman couldn't tear men in half.

A slight breeze from behind was all Gordon needed to realise someone was behind him. Even after all these years, he still never knew he was behind him until he wanted Jim to know.

"Your late." He spoke, not turning around as he lit a cigarette.

"And I thought you were going to quit." Came Batman's reply. Gordon took a drag of his cigarette, blew out, and finally turned round to face Gotham's protector.

Batman stood in the shadows as he always did, but he seemed injured. That is if the dried blood stains on his suit were any indication. His stance was of someone who showed no weakness, and was poised to strike at a moment's notice.

"You know why I called you." It wasn't a question. Batman did know, he was just waiting for Gordon to speak first.

"It wasn't me, if that's what you're thinking." He was right.

"I don't, but I would like to know who did. Some of the fresher officers don't know you like the rest, and the mayor could us you as a scapegoat if I don't present anything that says otherwise."

Batman simply handed him a pen drive that Gordon, after many years of working with the Caped Crusader, knew would contain as much information on the real culprit as Batman had at this point.

"A word of warning Jim. Some of the information on there is bad even by Gotham standards." Batman's tone softened slightly, so slight Gordon would have missed it if he hadn't known Batman for years. "And under no circumstances try to arrest this man. He is too powerful for Gotham PD."

Gordon looked at the pen drive in his hand. "Right, anything else I should-" He looked up to see he was alone on the rooftop. "Every time." Gordon sighed. He shut off the Bat signal before dropping his cigarette on the roof and making his way back inside.

He had homework to do…

 **Gotham City Outskirts**

 **May 31** **st** **08:30**

He woke to an alarm beeping in his ear. Groaning, he felt around for the annoying thing. Finding it, he slammed his fist down on top of it, quickly shutting it up. Now in silence, he waited for five seconds before conceding to the fact that he wasn't going to fall back to sleep. Hauling himself out of the bed, he ambled towards the bathroom, half asleep, and flicked on the light. The small room filled with a harsh, yet dim, white light. Turning on the tap, he splashed tepid water into his face to wake him up. Once he was suitably wet, he dried his face with a towel probably older than himself and looked at the mirror through bleary eyes.

He didn't see himself however. He didn't see short brown hair on top of a pale white face, cleanly shaven with a few freckles across the bridge of his nose. He didn't see the brown eyes that seemed warm, but not a comforting warmth. He didn't see the stocky wide shoulders, or the thick muscles tacked to them. And he didn't see the multitude of scars that littered his body.

No. What he saw was a hellish demon, stripped of all flesh and wreathed in fire so hot it could burn souls. Dressed in black leather from the neck down, only its head was bare. Flames rose out of the collar and licked at the air. The empty sockets stared at him, and he stared back. Finally, he cracked a wry smirk.

"Morning Bonehead."

 **AN:** **SORRY SORRY SORRY! I didn't mean to take a month long absence from writing, and I thank everyone for being patient. Hopefully this near-5000-word chapter is a suitable apology.**

 **Feel free to leave a review. I love criticism to help make my writing better. Again sorry for the gap. I'll try to work on it.**


	6. Meeting the Kids

**Washington D.C.**

 **July 4** **th** **13:30**

The crowd outside the Hall of Justice was already at a fever pitch, even though the heroes weren't scheduled to arrive with their sidekicks for another half-hour. News crews were running final checks, ready for broadcast when the heroes finally got there. The anticipation was thick in the air.

This same anticipation for the heroes also blinded them to anything seemingly ordinary. Nobody would dare try anything at the Hall of Justice, headquarters of the Justice League. So no one saw the man in a leather jacket walk up to the visitor's entrance of the Hall, pay the ridiculous admission, and walk in. He was just another fan of the League. Nothing weird there.

The man in question was about 6'3" in height, and had a muscular, yet slightly slim, build. He wore dark jeans, dark t-shirt, biker boots and a plain, black leather jacket. His eyes were hidden by a pair of dark sunglasses. He walked with casual purpose, occasionally stopping to look at a picture on the wall, usually of either the League or their predecessors, the Justice Society. He looked at the photographs, seemingly with interest. When really he was matching the faces to the names and powers. He was cautious in case he had a run-in with these 'heroes'.

Hey, he wasn't stupid or naive. Eventually he would come to their attention. But that didn't mean he couldn't fuck with them in the meantime.

Smiling to himself, the as-yet-unnamed man wandered towards the viewing area. This was where the public could view the heroes as they entered the library. This area also housed the entrance to the area of the Hall that was closed off to the members of the public and press.

He looked around at the few reporters that already had their cameras out in preparation. He also got his phone out, just to look like he was doing something. A sudden spike of excitement caused him to turn back to the glass, where he could perfectly see The Leaguers Red Tornado, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman and Batman. Then he looked down slightly more and saw the sidekicks. Speedy, Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad. They looked to be talking. An ordinary human couldn't hear what they were saying, but he had good hearing. Focusing, he stated to listen to their conversation.

"-promised us a real look inside, not a glorified backstage pass!" Speedy spoke on an angry tone.

"It's a first step. You've been granted access few others get." Aquaman replied in the patient tone all Atlanteans seemed to possess.

"Oh, really?" Speedy gestured up at the glass and the people taking pictures. "Who cares which side of the glass we're on?"

Green Arrow stepped towards his young protégé and spoke in a calming voice. "Roy, you need to calm down."

This seemed to only worsen his mood. "What I need, is respect." He then turned to the three younger sidekicks, who had sat down in the chairs that occupied the library. "They're treating us like kids. Worse-like sidekicks! We deserve better than this!"

The three young heroes looked at each other blankly, then back to Speedy.

"You're kidding right?" Speedy spoke in a disbelieving tone. "You're playing their game? Why? Because you think they play fair? Today was supposed to be the day, step one in becoming Full-fledged members of The League." His tone became angrier as he spoke.

Kid Flash then decided to open his mouth. "Well, sure, but I thought step one was a tour of the HQ."

"Except the hall isn't The League's real HQ." All the heroes looked surprised at this. He liked where this was going. It was getting interesting. "I bet they never told you it's just a false front for tourists, and a pit stop for catching Zeta Beam teleporter tubes to the real thing, an orbiting satellite called the Watchtower."

Green Arrow turned around to meet the glares of both Batman and Flash. "I know, I know, but I thought maybe we could make an exception." He said in a hopeful voice.

Batman's glare just intensified.

Green Arrow's shoulders slumped "Or not."

Despite the seriousness of the scene, the man couldn't help but chuckle at people being afraid of Batman's Batglare™. He had seen much worse glares than that and they didn't even phase him. He was brought out of his brief revere by someone else talking.

"You're not helping your cause here, son." The voice, stern and commanding, belonged to Aquaman. "Stand down or-"

"Or what? You'll send me to my room?" He was cut off by a furious Speedy. "And I'm not your son. I'm not even his!" He took a deep breath to calm himself. "I thought I was his partner, but not anymore." And with that, he threw his yellow hat on the floor. The other three sidekicks looked on in shock.

Speedy then turned and began to walk out. As he passed the sidekicks, he spoke to them without stopping. "Guess their right about you three. You're not ready." He then disappeared out the door, as the heroes looked on in astonishment. The man looked on, contemplating. He could understand Speedy's anger, but if you wanted to prove that you're an adult now, don't throw a temper tantrum like a six year old child.

He was once again brought out of his thoughts by the computer receiving a transmission. Superman appeared on the main monitor. "Superman to Justice League. There's been an explosion at Project Cadmus. It's on fire."

The occupants of the library made their way in front of the screen. Batman spoke first. "I've had my suspicions about Cadmus. This may present the perfect opportunity to in-"His gravelly voice was cut off by a second alarm and a man in a top hat appearing in the bottom right of the screen.

"Zatara to Justice League. The sorcerer Wotan is using the Amulet of Attan to blot out the sun. Requesting full League response."

Batman looked back at the Man of Steel. "Superman?"

"It's a small fire. Local authorities have it under control."

"Then Cadmus can wait. All leaguers rendezvous at Zatara's coordinates. Batman out." As the rest began to leave, Batman turned to the young sidekicks. "Stay put."

"What? Why?" Robin exclaimed

"This is a League mission." Aquaman said.

"You're not trained." Added Flash.

"Since when?" Kid Flashes response was tinged with annoyance.

Flash quickly explained, not wanting another Speedy like confrontation. "I meant you're not trained to work as part of this team."

"There will be other missions, when you're ready." Aquaman also tried to calm them down.

"But for now. Stay. Put." Batman finished with finality in his voice. As they walked away, the man caught Green Arrow talking to Martian Manhunter.

"Glad you didn't bring you know who?"

"Indeed." Came the emotionless reply as they too walked out. Last was Red Tornado, who simply looked at the team, before following. The doors shut neatly behind them.

Kid flash scoffed. "When we're ready? How are we ever supposed to be ready when they treat us like- Like sidekicks?" He was noticeably annoyed.

"My mentor, my king, I thought he trusted me." Aqualad however was saddened by the apparent deception by his king.

"Trust? They don't even trust us with the basics! They've got a secret HQ in space!" Kid Flash exclaimed, raising his arms for emphasis.

Aqualad sighed. "What else aren't they telling us?"

"I have a batter question. Why didn't we leave with Speedy?" Robin's question made them all think about their answer.

After a few moments, Aqualad tentatively asked "What is…Project Cadmus?"

Robin looked up. "Don't know." Before a smirk broke out on his face. "But I can find out." Making his way over to the computer, he began typing. The computer responded with an "Access Denied."

"Heh, wanna bet?" His fingers began flying over the keys as boxes of code began appearing on the screen.

"Whoa! How are you doing that?" Kid Flash asked, staring in amazement at the word that were moving so fast even he had trouble keeping up.

"Same system as the Batcave." Robin said smugly as with a final keystroke, he was granted access to the computer. A picture of a rather dull looking 2 storey building appeared on the screen. "All right. Project Cadmus. Genetics lab here in D.C. That's all there is." He turned to his fellow young heroes. "But if Batman's suspicious, maybe we should investigate."

Aqualad quickly caught on to Robin's thinking. "Solve their case before they do. It would be poetic justice."

"Hey they're all about justice." Robin chuckled.

Aqualad just sighed. "But they said stay put."

"For the 'blotting out the sun' mission. Not this" Robin tried to convince Aqualad.

"Wait. Are you going to Cadmus? Because if you're going, I'm going" Kid Flash quickly agreed with Robin. The two then grinned at Aqualad like the best of friends. He simply looked at the younger heroes, before relenting.

"Just like that? We're a team on a mission?" He asked, to be certain they were on the same page.

Robin just smiled. "We didn't come for a play date." The other two smiled as well.

Meanwhile, the mysterious man had already left. He had decided that these 'heroes' had the Amulet of Atten mission covered. Besides, he didn't want to blow his cover just yet. This was getting interesting.

So, he decided to follow the young sidekicks on their investigation of Project Cadmus. He has his suspicions about it himself.

After all, nothing completely legitimate has ever been funded solely by Lex Luthor.

' _You ready for this?'_ He asked his 'other self'. He only received a grumble in response. _'Still sleepy, huh?'_ Chuckling to himself, he started to make his way to Project Cadmus.

 **Project Cadmus**

 **July 4** **th** **17: 04**

The fire crews were fighting the fire that had erupted at Project Cadmus. Normally, this wouldn't be so bad. However, two scientists were caught on the top floor, right next door to the blaze.

"Help!"

"Get us down!"

"Stay put. We will get you out." No sooner than the fire chief with the megaphone had said that, a second explosion blew both scientists out of the window and sent them hurtling towards the concreate below.

Suddenly, in a blur of speed, Kid Flash ran towards the building, then up the building. In an impressive display of skill and luck, he caught both scientists and deposited them safely on the roof. Unfortunately, he had lost his momentum and his low friction shoes couldn't grip the wall. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the window ledge that the eggheads had just fallen out of, saving himself from a sticky end.

The fireman with the megaphone looked on in amazement. "It's what's-his-name. Flash Boy!"

"Kid Flash." The speedster shouted back, before grumbling to himself. "Why's that so hard?"

Aqualad and Robin looked on at the speedster's less than graceful, but successful, rescue.

"So smooth." The Boy Wonder gave his opinion on what just happened.

Ignoring his comment, Aqualad began to speak. "Does he always have to run ahead? We need a plan. We-"He looked toward Robin, only to find himself talking to thin air. "Robin?" He looked around in surprise. He hadn't even sensed Robin move.

A cackle turned his attention back to the fire. He could see Robin grapple up to the second storey window, help kid Flash up, before both disappearing inside. Thinking quickly, Aqualad ran toward the firemen with the hose.

"I need to borrow that."

Using his water-bearers, he manipulated the water in to a platform to take him up to the scientists, who were still trapped on the roof of a burning building. Drawing level with the roof, he spoke in a commanding tone. "Step aboard. Now." The scientists leapt onto the water platform, wobbling slightly before holding onto Aqualad for support. Stepping of at the window, he lowered them both down to the ground before sheathing his water-bearers and following the other two inside.

In the shadows, the man stood by watching as the fire crews finished dealing with the blaze. He was quite impressed with Kid Flashes save and the way Aqualad got them to safety. They still had a long way to go, but they were still young. Deciding to sneak in a different way, he made his way to another window on the other side of the building. Checking to make sure that no one was around, he slipped a chain out of his sleeve, wound his arm back and flicked it forward. The end of the chain flew up, through the glass and latched onto something inside. Gripping it with both hands, he gave it a colossal yank. This sent him hurtling up to the ledge, and landed perfectly on the sill. Stuffing his chain back up his sleeve, he peered at the darkened room through his sunglasses. Nothing of note. Walking into the corridor, he saw an open elevator shaft. When he looked down, he was surprised to find that it went down a lot further than 2 floors. Using his good eyesight, he just spied the young heroes make their way onto one of the floors lower down. He quickly grabbed on to a cable, probably Robin's, and slid down after them.

Arriving at the floor they had gone into, he leapt over and followed them, catching up to them just as they entered a room full of tubes. Each with some sort of creature inside, seemingly generating electricity. _'Any ideas?'_ he asked in his head. But before he could get a reply, Robin turned around and threw a metal disc towards him, aiming to disorientate him. This failed when the man simply raised his arm and caught the disc in a leather clad grip. Robin's eyes widened slightly, but he recovered quickly.

"Who are you?" He demanded. Kid flash and Aqualad stood behind him in fighting stances.

The man simply smiled. Not a malicious one, but a warm friendly smile. "Easy kid. I'm on your side." He spoke in a light tone.

The heroes were caught off guard by his English accent, and the fact that he had his hands raised in a show of peace.

"Who are you?" This time Aqualad had spoken in a wary tone, yet relaxing slightly.

"I'm new around here and thought I could help." The man explained in a calm, controlled manner. He was completely calm, considering his situation.

"Are you a hero?" Kid Flash decided to ask this time. He had completely relaxed. If this guy was friendly then all's good. If not, they could take him down quickly.

"Sure, why not?" The man said shrugging his shoulders, before walking over to them. With the smile still on his face, he handed back the birdarang back to Robin. "So what's going on?"

Breaking out of his shock, Kid Flash walked over to the rows of pods.

"This is how they hid this massive underground facility from the world. The real Cadmus isn't on the grid. It generates its own power with these…things. Must be what they're bred for."

The man spoke next. "Well the name is a clue. The Cadmus of myth created a new race by sowing dragons' teeth into the earth." He then saw the other three looking at him strangely. "What?"

"This Cadmus creates new life too. Let's find out why." Robin then walked over to a terminal and plugged his gauntlet into one of the ports. A screen then appeared and he began typing away. "They call them genomorphs. Whoa! Look at the stats on these things—super-strength, telepathy, razor claws. These are living weapons"

"Their engineering an army." Kid Flash spoke darkly. "But for who?"

Robin clicked and other key and more code popped up. "Wait. There's something else. Project Kr. Ugh! The file's triple-encrypted. I can't—"

"Don't move!"

He was interrupted by an adult voice. They turned towards the door to find five genomorphs and a man in a blue and gold outfit, complete with a shield on his left arm and a helmet. He had another small genomorph on his shoulder.

"Wait. Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash? And who are you?" He asked perplexed.

"At least he got your name right." Robin spoke to Kid Flash as he downloaded something from the terminal.

"I know you. Guardian. A hero." Aqualad spoke in disbelief.

"I do my best" he spoke calmly.

"Then what are you doing here?" Kid Flash asked annoyed.

Guardian looked at them sternly. "I'm chief of security. You're trespassing, but we can call the Justice League, Figure this out." He said. The young heroes looked perplexed at this statement. Kid flash spoke first.

"You think The League's gonna approve of you Breeding weapons?!" He exclaimed.

Guardian looked puzzled. "Weapons? What are you-? "The small genomorph on his shoulder looked at Guardian, its horns glowing. Guardian looked surprised "What have I-? My head." He then held his head in pain before looking up with fury in his eyes. The man saw this change, narrowing his eyes when he realised that Guardian was being mind-controlled.

"Take them down hard. No mercy!" The genomorphs leapt at the heroes plus one. Robin threw down a smoke bomb before grappling up to one of the support beams. Kid Flash dealt with the genomorphs whilst Aqualad fought Guardian.

The man saw a genomorph come towards him fast. Without hesitation, he grabbed the thing mid-air, and swung round to pin it against the wall. Holding it with his left hand, he drew back his right and punched it hard. So hard its head exploded with the force. Dropping the now headless corpse, he saw Aqualad electrocute Guardian, then they both followed Kid Flash as he ran away from the other four genomorphs.

As he turned the corner, he could see Kid Flash and Robin at the door as the latter hacked it open. He looked back at the approaching genomorphs. He could easily take them, but for some reason he felt as if he had to protect the young heroes. Maybe he was finally losing it.

As he and Aqualad ran at full speed towards the elevator, the doors opened and Kid Flash and Robin slipped through. Aqualad got there first. He turned just in time to see a genomorph tackle the man through the doors as they shut. The two combatants locked together as they scrambled around on the floor. He was about to help, but the man managed to get both hands on the genomprphs head. With a loud crack, he wrenched his twisted its head to the left, breaking its neck and instantly killing it. The dead creature slumped to the floor, its muscles no longer able to support its weight. Grunting, the man stood up and brushed himself of, seemingly unaware of the stares he was getting.

They then noticed that the numbers of the elevator were increasing, not decreasing.

"We're headed down?"

"Dude out is up!" Kid Flash exclaimed.

"Excuse me? Project Kr, it's down on sub-level 52." Robin said as if it explained everything.

"This is out of control." Aqualad said as he ran his hand through what little hair he had. "Perhaps-perhaps we should contact the League."

Just then the doors opened into a creepy, flesh covered hallway.

"We are already here." Kid Flash said as he and Robin ran out. Aqualad just sighed before him and the man followed after them. To keep them out of trouble if nothing else.

"Which way?" He asked when they caught up with them. Ahead lay a fork, branching of in different directions.

"Yeah. Bizarre-looking hallway one or bizarre-looking hallway two?" Robin replied jokingly. They were stopped when an unhuman voice stopped them.

"Halt!"

A tall, thin genomorph stood in one of the hallways. His horns and eyes glowed and he lifted his hand. Two barrels floated in the air before rocketing towards Kid Flash and Aqualad. They ducked just in time. The barrels sailed over head before exploding against the wall behind them. Robin threw a birdarang towards him, by he caught it with his telekinesis, dropped it and threw two more barrels. They were already running down the opposite hallway when they exploded.

Kid flash turned a corner and crashed into a lady scientist. He rubbed his head before looking at the door she just came out of. On the front was the words; Project Kr. He quickly grabbed a nearby canister and jammed the door open. "Hurry!" He shouted before diving in. the rest soon followed and Aqualad kicked the canister out, shutting the door in their pursuers faces. Robin was already hacking a nearby terminal.

"I disabled the door. We're safe."

"We're trapped." The man corrected. He was barely breathing hard despite the sprint they had just finished.

"Uh guys?" Came Kid Flash's voice from further in the room. "You'll wanna see this." Pressing a button on the console, a pod in front of them lit up. The contents of the pod however caused four sets of eyes to go wide with astonishment. Robin summed up exactly what they were all thinking.

"Whoa."

Inside the pod was a young boy who looked about sixteen. He had black hair and a strong build. He was wearing a full, glowing, white jumpsuit with Superman's S-shield on the front. Kid Flash walked up to the pod.

"Big K, little r. the atomic symbol for Krypton." He spoke in amazement. He turned back to them. "Clone?"

"Hack, dude." The man prompted Robin.

"Oh. Right, right." Plugging In his wrist computer, he quickly hacked through the security and pulled up the file on the boy in the pod.

"Weapon designation Superboy, a clone force-grown in 16 weeks?! From DNA acquired from Superman"

"Stolen from Superman." Aqualad corrected.

"No way the big guy knows about this." Kid Flash said.

Robin continued. "Solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7."

Aqualad then pointed to three of the small genomorphs inside the pod with the 'Superboy'.

"And these creatures?"

"Genomorph gnomes, telepathic, force-feeding him an education."

"No free guesses on what else." The man said darkly.

"They're making a slave out of, well, Superman's son." Kid Flash summarised. This was wrong on so many levels, it made what they had gone through 5 minutes ago seem tame.

"Now we contact the League." The three then tried to contact their mentors, but they were so far down they had no chance.

"No signal."

"We're in too deep. Literally." Kid Flash tried to joke, but even he understood the gravity of the situation.

The man was looking at the G-gnomes when their horns lit up. He narrowed his eyes. This wouldn't end well.

"Set him free. Do it." He heard Aqualad say, as Robin hacked the controls. With a hiss of gas, the latches opened and the sides of the pod opened. After a second, Superboy stretched his hand and curled it into a fist, popping the stiff knuckles. The man narrowed his eyes and tensed. This will definitely not end well.

His eyes opened, and locked on to Aqualad. He charged forward at super speed, slamming into Aqualad. Pinning him down, he began to deliver crosses to the side if his head. Luckily before he could kill him Kid Flash and Robin grabbed one arm each to try and hold him back. A futile effort considering who his DNA donor is but they managed it quite well.

"Hang on Supey." Kid Flash strained against the super powered clone.

"We're on your side." Robin added, struggling himself.

Suddenly, the arm Kid Flash was attempting to restrain broke free before returning with a fist, directly into Kid's chin. He was sent flying, into another pod full of test tubes. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Seeing Kid Flash down, Robin decided to get serious. "I don't want to do this." He said as he set off a gas pellet in Superboy's mouth before jumping away. The gas distracted him long enough for Aqualad to deliver a kick to his ribs, doing minimal damage but it sent Superboy careening across the room, smashing into the pod controls. Robin then drew a high powered Taser from his belt and blasted Superboy in the chest. But this did nothing, as even it was no match for Kryptonian durability. He grabbed the cables and dragged Robin towards him. Grabbing him with his other hand, he slammed Robin into the floor before planting his foot on his ribcage, pinning him there.

"ENOUGH!" Superboy looked up to see Aqualad slam a water-hammer into his face. He slammed into the holder that Superboy rested against when in the pod, cracking it with the force. Aqualad knelt down to help Robin, only for the boy wonder to fall unconscious. Standing up, he decided to try one last time to reason with Superboy.

"We are trying to help you." His words went unheard as Superboy once again charged forward and tried to punch Aqualad. This time though, Aqualad was ready. He sidestepped Superboy's punch, which dented the floor with the force, before tackling him into the wall. As the dust cleared, he tried to punch Superboy, only for the clone to grab his fist in one hand and kicked him away. Recovering, Aqualad dodged Superboy's wild swing before delivering a swift kick to the ribs, followed by two punches. Dodging another wide punch, he gave his own to Superboy's shoulder blade, then came up behind and restrained him. Pumping power through his arm tattoos, he electrocuted him with hundreds of volt of electricity. The difference now was that Aqualad's tattoos were created with magic, and Kryptonians had a natural weakness to magic. Superboy roared in pain. He then jumped to the roof, slamming Aqualad between the roof and his own harder-than-steel body. Landing, he jumped again. This time Aqualad let go and crumpled to the floor. Superboy stood, then looked around the room. He knew there was a fourth enemy.

A chain suddenly snaked his way around his ankle. He looked down, before he was yanked off his feet and slammed into a wall. He didn't have time to recover before he was slammed into the opposite wall. Then the first wall again. Then the roof. Then the floor. Then he was dragged towards the other end of the chain. He turned only to see a black leather fist nail him straight in the eye. He flew backwards and slammed into the door, creating a large dent. He looked up again, only this time to see a boot slam into his face. Superboy felt his nose break under the kick. The pain however cleared his head, and allowed him to sneak attack the enemy with a quick punch. One so strong the man was sent hurtling to the other end of the room. He tried to stand, but quickly fell unconscious too. Just before he did, he saw a blurry Superboy rip the door open and another scientist step in.

"Atta boy."

 **AN:** **Sorry, no Rider action in this chapter. Or the next few whilst I set up the team getting to know the host of our favourite homicidal demon spirit. I'll try to get another couple of chapters up before Christmas, but don't hold out too many hopes. Adios :)**


	7. Big Rumble in Little Cadmus

**Project Cadmus**

 **July 4** **th** **23:13**

Dr Desmond stared anxiously at the seven screens that appeared out of the ceiling. Each one held a silhouette of someone. Who, Desmond didn't know. But they were powerful. Very. Powerful.

"Dr Desmond, you require an audience with the Light?"

The middle silhouette spoke on a powerful, yet restrained tone. Desmond gulped silently.

"Yes. Very sorry to disturb you at this late hour."

"Just make your report." Another screen cut off Desmond, clearly impatient.

"Of course." He cleared his throat and began. "Well, we had a small fire here at project Cadmus. The origin of the incident is still unclear, but it seems to have attracted some unwanted attention. Three 'sidekicks'; Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash, and an unknown, breached security. They found and released the weapon, the Superboy. Of course the clone is under our telepathic control and as ordered turned against his would-be liberators."

"The four are contained, and we don't believe the League knows they're here." Desmond paused. "Um. What should I do with them?" He asked timidly.

The silhouettes paused for a moment, before one spoke.

"Tell us about the unknown."

Desmond looked surprised, but complied. "We do not know a great deal about him. He is not a hero or a sidekick of any known hero. He seems to possess superhuman strength, as he was able to wound the weapon." This seemed to grab their attention. Any singular person that can harm a Kryptonian with strength alone is something worth having control of.

"Clone them." The middle screen said finally. "The substitutes will serve the Light, and only the Light."

"And the originals?" Desmond asked.

"…Dispose of them. Leave no trace."

Desmond smirked at that.

 **Underneath Project Cadmus**

 **July 4** **th** **23:33**

Kid Flash jerked awake to someone telling him to wake up, only to find the room completely silent. Robin and Aqualad were both awake, but the mystery man was still unconscious. Superboy stood in front of the pods that held them, staring up at them, unmoving.

"What? What do you want?" Kid Flash asked angrily. Superboy simply narrowed his eyes slightly. "Quit staring. You're creeping me out."

"Uh, KF, how about we not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?" Robin reminded him, worried about ticking of a less-than-friendly version of Superman.

"We only sought to help you." Aqualad began calmly.

Kid Flash interrupted him angrily. "Yeah. We free you, and you turn on us. How's that for grat—" He was then interrupted by Aqualad.

"Kid, please, be quiet now. I believe our new friend is not in full control of his actions." He still spoke in that calm tone of his.

"Wha-what if- what if I wasn't?" Superboy spoke suddenly.

Kid Flash was startled. "He can talk?"

"Yes. HE can." Superboy responded with anger in his voice.

Aqualad and Robin looked at Kid Flash. "Not like I said 'it'."

At that moment, a groan was heard from the pod on the other side of Robin. The strange man was finally waking up from his impromptu nap.

"Oh, my head. It feels like it's got a Frenchman living in it." Of all the thing the young heroes and the clone expected him to say upon waking, that wasn't one of them. He opened his eyes and looked around. He saw the three sidekicks and the clone staring at him strangely. "What?"

Aqualad then got back to the topic beforehand. "The genomorphs taught you. Telepathically."

"They taught me much. I can read, write. I know the names of things." Superboy clarified Aqualad's hidden question. It was then Robin's turn to speak.

"But have you seen them? Have they ever actually let you see the sky or the sun?"

"Images are implanted in my mind, but no. I have not seen them."

Aqualad then asked the question that philosophers had asked since the dawn of mankind. "Do you know what you are? Who you are?"

Superboy then straightened and spoke in a loud clear voice. "I am the Superboy, a genomorph, a clone made from the DNA of the Superman. Created to replace him, should he perish. To destroy him, should he turn from the light."

The man, Robin and Kid Flash looked at each other. Aqualad chose his next words carefully.

"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration. But like Superman, you deserve a life of your own. Beyond that solar suit. Beyond your pod. Beyond Cadmus."

"I live because of Cadmus! It is my home!" Superboy suddenly became very angry.

"Your home is a test tube. And these guys don't care about you. To them, you're a weapon. A thing to be used and thrown away when not needed anymore. But to us, you're a person. A living being." The man said, trying to sway him to release them.

"We can show you the sun." Robin added helpfully.

"Pretty sure it's after midnight, but we can show you the moon." Kid Flash added not so helpfully.

Aqualad made the closing argument. "We can show you, introduce you to Superman."

Superboy looked up at Aqualad, hope beginning to rise in his chest, before it was crushed down by a voice from behind him.

"No. They can't." They looked at the door, where Dr Desmond, Guardian and the lady scientist from before entered the room. "They'll be otherwise occupied. Activate the cloning process." The woman started towards the console.

"Pass. Batcave's crowded enough." Robin showed his attitude by snarking the evil scientist that held them hostage. Brave, but stupid.

"Besides, who would want to clone me? I have more diseases in my body than you have bones. I know, I counted." The man followed Robins lead in pissing of their asshole captor into doing something stupid. It seemed to be working as Desmond had a very annoyed look on his face.

"And get the weapon back in its pod!"

"Hey! How come he gets to call Supey an 'it'?" Kid Flash asked annoyed.

As Guardian began to walk towards Superboy, an almighty crack caused everyone to turn to the man's pod. He had broken one of the restraints on his arms and was punching the glass. With every hit, the split in the screen got wider and wider. Desmond was shocked. The restraints could hold the weapon should he fight back, and the glass was completely bullet proof, yet this no name Meta broke through with ease. At last, the glass finally broke. With space to move, he then ripped the other restraints of with minimal effort and leaped towards Desmond. With no time to dodge, he was tackled by the much taller and stronger opponent. Grabbing the Dr by the hair, he slammed his head into the floor hard enough to knock him out. He wound back for a second hit, but was shoulder checked by Guardian. He was sent stumbling into the console, narrowly avoiding the woman. He regained his footing, thought for a moment, before slamming his fist into the controls. They sparked and fizzed, before the desired effect of releasing the 3 heroes from their pods was achieved. Satisfied, he turned to deal with Guardian, only to find Superboy had beaten him to it. He had swiped him aside with enough force to render the chief of security unconscious.

Dropping to the floor, Robin began to talk to himself. "Just a few more seconds and I've been out. Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long."

"Seriously, that's what you're worried about? The whole League will have our heads after tonight." Kid Flash started deadpan, before becoming more hysterical as he went on. As they ran out, they passed Desmond, who shouted after them.

"You-you'll never get out of here! I'll have you back in pods before morning."

"That guy is not whelmed. Not whelmed at all." Rob said as he tossed some birdarangs towards said pods.

"What is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Kid Flash asked as the pods exploded, setting fire to the room in the process.

As they disappeared into the complex, a G-gnome hopped onto Desmond's shoulder.

"Activate every genomorph in Cadmus." The G-gnome obeyed, and throughout the facility, the sleeping genomorphs awakened with new orders. Stop the heroes by any means necessary.

Up a few floors, the escapees had covered a bit of ground. But not too much, as Aqualad pointed out.

"We are still 42 levels below ground, but if we can make the elevator…" He skidded to a halt as a herd of giant genomorphs blocked their exit. The rest stopped beside him, whilst new genomorphs clawed their way out of the walls to block them from behind. One of the giants tried to crush them beneath its massive hands, but it was slow and easily dodgeable. The more squishy heroes used their smaller size to slip under the genomorphs and make a break for the elevator. Superboy, however, didn't want to run. He leapt at one of the G-trolls, knocking it down with a couple punches. He landed, only to be pinned by another's fist.

The others dodged the last G-troll and turned to check on Superboy. Their eyes went wide as they saw his punches knocking the much heavier opponents across the corridor. They landed with such force that pieces of the ceiling were beginning to crumble away. Superboy didn't notice. He just bellowed as he punched a rather unlucky G-troll repeatedly into a wall.

"Superboy, the goal is escape, not to bury ourselves here!" Aqualad shouted to get his attention. The clone turned towards the group, eyes wide with wild anger.

"You want escape?" He shouted as he grabbed a downed G-troll and flung it into two more. With all the enemies down he followed after them to the elevator. Aqualad easily ripped the door open before standing aside to let Kid Flash and Robin enter. Robin used his grapple gun to ascend whilst the man hitched a ride. Kid Flash ran up the sides using his momentum to stick to the walls. Superboy grabbed Aqualad and jumped, narrowly missing being grabbed by a G-troll. He raised up the floors quickly, before slowing. Then, to his shock, he started to fall. Before he got for the man jumped to a ledge and caught Aqualad by the arm, halting their downward journey. Superboy didn't notice, he just looked downcast.

"Superman can fly. Why can't I fly?" He asked himself.

"Maybe it's an age thing. You'll probably grow into in." the man added with a slight smile as he helped them onto his ledge.

"On the plus side, it looks like you can leap tall Buildings in a single bound. Still cool." Kid Flash added with a thumbs up. Superboy looked grateful. Robin broke them out of their little bromance moment.

"Guys, this will have to be our exit!" He said as he spied the elevator hurtling towards them from above. Superboy easily knocked the doors off and they all dived through, narrowly missing being turned into paste by a high speed elevator. The floor numbers above the door identified them as now being on sub-level 15. Ahead, more genomorphs closed in on them. The heroes ran down an adjacent corridor, with Superboy wisely following. As they ran, Superboy suddenly shouted.

"Go left. Left!" With no time to argue, they followed his directions. "Turn right." Again they listened, only to be met by a brick wall.

"Great directions, Supey. You trying to get us repodded?" Kid Flash asked annoyed. Superboy looked confused.

"No. I don't understand." He was cut off by Robin who sounded very happy.

"Don't apologise. This is perfect!" They followed his gaze to the air duct at the top of the wall. The man stood under the vent cover, back to the wall.

"Need a lift?" He joked. Robin quickly took him up on the offer, standing on his shoulders to remove the cover and scramble inside. Aqualad then Kid Flash followed next before the man jumped after them. He poked his head out to address Superboy. "You comin' or what?" He asked, extending his hand. After helping the Boy of Steel, they followed after the others inside the ridiculously spacious air vent. It took all of about ten seconds of the slow pace before Kid Impatient started moaning.

"At this rate, we'll never get out."

"Quit whining Road Runner." The man said from behind him. Before the two of them could continue arguing, Superboy shushed them.

"Listen." They couldn't hear anything, but they had a good idea what he could hear. The genomorphs had followed them into the vents. The man quickly followed turned to the Boy Wonder.

"Can you throw them off our scent?" He asked. Robin checked his wrist computer. He found that the vent cameras were watching them, and quickly put a stop to that. They carried on moving before dropping back onto another corridor closer to ground level.

"Wait." He said before starting to hack again. Within seconds he was done. "I hacked the motion sensors." He said with pride.

Take 'em on a nice trip?" The man asked with a smile.

"I like to think so." He said as the thought of Desmond being squished between genomorphs and the floor of the men's toilets sprang to mind. He smiled at the image before regaining seriousness. "Still plenty of them between us and out."

Kid Flash just donned his goggles. "But I've finally got room to move." He then sped off into and up the stairwell. Racing up the floors quickly, he noticed some genomorphs coming down the same way. But Kid Flash simply barrelled through them with his speed. As the others ran past them, Robin looked at his wrist computer.

"More behind us!" He shouted. Superboy, who was bringing up the rear, stopped at the top of the stairs and slammed his foot down. The shear might of the young Kryptonian caused the stairs to collapse just as the genomorphs were about reach them. The man looked impressed.

"Nice." He praised Superboy as they ran to catch up. As they entered the corridor, they arrived just in time to see Kid flash run head first into a massive reinforced blast door. He bounced off and rolled to a stop just in front of them. The man chuckled slightly.

"Slick moves Kid. You defiantly showed THAT door whose boss."

"Were cut off from the street." Aqualad stated the plainly obvious. Kid Flash rubbed his head.

"Thanks. My head hadn't noticed." He grumbled under his breath. Superboy stepped up to the door and slammed his fist into the crack. He then dug his hands into the dent and tried to pry the door open, to no avail. Then Aqualad tried to help by grabbing the other door. When that didn't work, the mystery man also jumped in. But even with three super-strength heroes trying to open it, the door didn't budge. Robin was trying a different approach, with no more luck.

"Can't hack this fast enough." He looked up from his hacking to see G-trolls coming down the corridor. "This way!" He said as he kicked open a nearby door. The rest followed him through, only to be met by yet more genomorphs and Guardian. They turned to escape only to find themselves boxed in. They all readied themselves for a fight. But the genomorphs had other plans, and soon the heroes fell unconscious. Except for the man. Through sheer force of will alone, he was just able to stay awake. Through blurry vision, he was able to see Superboy and a tall genomorph staring at each other. Along with Superboy say something about 'freedom'. Guardian held his head like he had a migraine.

"Fells like, fog lifting."

The rest of the heroes also woke with clearing minds. Aqualad spoke first.

"Guardian?"

The hero in question simply stared at the young sidekicks, before speaking on a tone of barely restrained anger.

"Go. I'll deal with Desmond."

"I think not." The genomorphs parted to reveal Desmond. He had a wild, crazed look in his eye and a vile of fluorescent blue liquid in his hand. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus." And with that, he swallowed the whole contents of the vial. He then clutched his throat in pain before falling to the ground. The heroes plus one looked in horror as his body began to grow. So much that his skin tore like cheap cloth, revealing new grey flesh underneath. Standing up, the now 7ft monster roared before tuning his sights on them.

"Everyone back!" Guardian exclaimed before rushing the monster, now dubbed 'Blockbuster'. However, it simply used its new strength to swipe him aside, sending him face first into a wall. The young heroes looked to him then back to Blockbuster. The man patted Superboy on the shoulder.

"He's all yours." Superboy leapt at the monster and delivered a powerful left cross to its face. Blockbuster countered with a right hook to Superboy's face. Recovering quickly, the clone retaliated with a right uppercut, followed by a one-two combo to Blockbuster's jaw. The monster showed uncanny durability by taking these hits, literally on the chin, before smacking Superboy away. Peeling himself of the floor, Superboy jumped up to attack from above, only for Blockbuster to jump into him and plow them both through the roof. The dust cleared to show a neat hole leading up to ground level.

"Ok. That's one way to bust through the ceiling." Robin said as he pulled his grapple gun out of his utility belt. He grabbed Kid Flash.

"Think labcoat planned that?" The mustard speedster asked as they rose. The man simply replied as he grabbed onto Aqualad's shoulders.

"I kinda doubt he's planning anything anymore." And with that, Aqualad jumped, taking them both through the hole and to the fight. They landed, only to see Robin and Kid Flash staring at the fight before them. Blockbuster had a hold on Superboy. Superboy quickly broke it, only for his leg to be grabbed by the monster. He was then flung into Aqualad, the two of them skidding towards the back of the hall. The man helped Superboy up whilst Robin and Kid Flash helped Aqualad. Together, the five of them faced down the former doctor. He stood between them and the exit. They had to fight him. For a few seconds, the two sides simply stared at each other.

Then Blockbuster charged.

So did the heroes.

Kid Flash obviously got there first. Just as he was about to be trampled by the massive experiment, he dropped and slid between Blockbuster's legs. He stopped in a crouch just behind its legs. Block buster then turned his attention to the front, to see Aqualad and Superboy land a double punch to its face. It stumbled back, tripping over Kid Flash and landing in an undignified heap.

"Learnt that one in kindergarten." Robin then leapt over Kid Flash and threw two birdarangs at Blockbuster, who swatted them away as it rolled over. It then looked up and saw the man leap at the creature feet first. The thick soles of his biker boots crunched against its face, smashing it back down into the floor. He was then forced away when Blockbuster took a swipe at him. Superboy grabbed its arm, but it simply broke the hold and tackled him into one of the roof pillars. Superboy hit him with a right hook, but missed with his left, allowing Blockbuster to slam its fist into Superboy's face, cracking the pillar behind him. It drew its arm back for a second hit, but was then stopped by a water whip wrapping around its arm. Blockbuster easily dragged Aqualad towards him, but the Atlantean used the momentum to smash his knee into Blockbuster's face. He then tried to bring a mace down on its head, but was caught in the creature's mighty fist and slammed into the ground. Aqualad cried out in pain as the concreate beneath him cracked with the force. Blockbuster then tossed Superboy away and into another pillar. Aqualad rolled out of the way of Blockbusters foot, then from nowhere Kid Flash ran into the fray. Blockbuster flicked the speedster into the air, caught his arm, and flung him into a barely recovered Aqualad. The two were sent flying, Aqualad hitting another pillar and Kid Flash the wall. Kid Flash was down for now, and Aqualad only just managed to stay on his feet. He looked up, only to be smashed completely through the pillar by a charging Blockbuster.

The sudden loss of support and the fact it was already damaged began to take its toll on the building. Large chucks fell from the ceiling as Blockbuster pounded Aqualad into the wall. The man noticed this, as did Robin, and got an idea. Nodding to the youngest of the five, he then ran up behind Blockbuster. Grabbing it by the waist, he managed to throw the giant monster, causing it to drop Aqualad in the process. Not giving it a chance to recover, he pushed his advantage, raining down punches and kicks onto its face and chest. As it was about to smash him, Superboy punched it in the back before leaping onto its shoulders and grabbing its face. Blockbuster was beginning to get really angry. It swiped the man away before grabbing Superboy off its shoulders and slamming him into another pillar.

Meanwhile, Robin had explained his plan to Kid Flash and the speedster set off. Jumping at Blockbuster just as it was about to slam Superboy into the ground, he punched it in the face and tore of what little skin it had left clinging to its head like a rag. He dropped into a fighting stance, before looking at what he had just torn off.

"Got your nose!" He insulted the monster, trying to make it chase him and enact Robin's plan. He succeeded, as Blockbuster dropped Superboy and tried to smash the yellow blur. He dodged and ran away, with the monster hot on his heels. Robin quickly caught Aqualad and Superboy's attention and explained his plan. Kid Flash stopped in front of another pillar.

"Come and get me, you incredible bulk!" He shouted, nearly causing some copyright infringement. It worked though, and he dived out of the way as Blockbuster slammed his fist into the pillar, shattering it instantly with the sheer force of the punch. As he was running away, a piece of rubble hit him in the back and caused him to lose his footing. Rolling to a stop, he could only look as Blockbuster jumped into the air, intending to merge the redhead with the floor. But as it reached the apex of its jump, a large fireball slammed into its side, forcing it of course and away from Kid Flash. Looking in the direction that it came from, he saw the man, leaning on one leg, with a fireball in his hand. He threw it towards Blockbuster, nailing it in the face and burning the last remnants of human skin from its body. Out the corner of his eye he saw Aqualad and Superboy break two heavily damaged pillars.

A roar brought him back to the fight as the man, despite his obvious injuries, leapt at Blockbuster and knocked it through yet another pillar. The victory was shot lived as he was then batted away by the creature. Thinking quickly, Kid Flash ran towards him, caught the heavier man on his shoulders and ran towards the others. He slid on the large puddle that Aqualad had formed, and stopped. Just as Blockbuster was about to reach them, Superboy leapt from above and slammed his fist into its head, knocking him down. Conveniently, right on top of a large cross that Robin had drawn with chalk that he had, for some reason.

Lighting up his tattoos, Aqualad pumped as much electricity into the puddle as possible, frying the downed monster. It roared in pain, its skeleton showing through its flesh with the current.

"MOVE!" Robin shouted as he grabbed Aqualad. His explosives went off and destroyed the remaining four pillars. The explosion caused a large slab of rock to fall on top of a still-stunned Blockbuster, flattening it. This explosion was the final straw. The building began to collapse, chunks of concreate the size of buses raining down around the heroes. The man grabbed Robin and Kid Flash and covered them, whilst Superboy and Aqualad covered them with their more durable bodies. They were soon covered as the building collapsed into little more than a pile of rubble.

As the dust cleared, all was silent, and still. Until a fist broke out of the rubble. Grabbing a hand hold, Superboy was easily able to lift the slab of rock covering them, and tossed it away. Standing up, the five of them surveyed the devastation they left in their wake. Their clothes were torn, they were injured and exhausted. But they had won.

"We did it." Aqualad panted with a smile. Robin and Kid Flash looked happy.

"Was there ever any doubt?" He said equally out of breath. He and Kid then hi-fived, only to regret it when they aggravated their injuries. The man was less out of breath, and turned to look at the piles of stone and steel that was once a building.

"Great plan Robin. What's your next idea? Gas line explosion? Nuclear Detonation?" He spoke, trying to sound serious, but the smirk on his face betrayed him. Superboy simply looked ahead. There lay Blockbuster, beaten, and trapped underneath a mountain of cracked concreate and smashed steel. He wasn't going anywhere. Kid Flash then got his attention.

"See, the moon." He pointed up at the object in question. Superboy stared up at it. He knew what it looked like, but this was the first time seeing it with his own eyes. To him it was beautiful. Then, a shape appeared from the middle, flying towards them. Superboy squinted to get a closer look. The man then appeared behind him and lay his hand on his shoulder.

"Superman as well? Must be your lucky day then, eh kid?" He said good naturedly as the shape indeed was the Man of Steel. And behind him, more heroes appeared. Red Tornado, Captain Marvel, Martian Manhunter and Zatara landed behind him. To the side, Captain Atom, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, Hawkwoman and one of the Green Lanterns. On the other, the second Green Lantern lowered a platform carrying Batman, Green Arrow, Aquaman and Black Canary. And with a whoosh of air, The Flash appeared next to them. The entire Justice League roster had turned up. The three sidekicks knew they were in for it. The man just watched Superboy as he walked towards his technically-parent and stopped in front of him. Superboy lifted up the torn part of his solar suit to reveal the S-shield printed there. Superman's eyes went wide. Superboy looked hopeful. He looked up to Superman. He was his idol.

Those facts just meant he was more crushed when Superman's gaze hardened. Superboy's hardened in response. Batman then stepped up behind Superman.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked in a low gravelly tone. Kid Flash stepped up next to Superboy and put his hand to his mouth.

"He doesn't like being called an 'it'." He stage whispered. Superboy then decided to speak up.

"I'm superman's clone." This proclamation caused all the Leaguers to look at one another in shock. The man leaned closer to Aqualad and Robin and spoke in a low tone.

"Most people start with hello, but I suppose that works too." This attempt to lighten the frosty mood brought a small smile to Robin and Aqualad's faces. Superboy also heard this, and felt reassured that he still had the others behind him.

Batman glared at the five of them. "Start talking."

The young heroes soon began to tell their tale of what happened. The man and Superboy hung back to let them speak. After they finished, The Hawks, the Lanterns and Captain Atom took Blockbuster away. The other heroes gathered around to talk about what just happened, whilst Superman, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter split of to talk about something different. Probably Superboy. And if the way the young clone was staring at Superman like he was about to fire lasers through his head, he wasn't being kind.

The five of them stood in a huddle away from the two groups. The man, unbeknownst to everyone else, could also hear what Superman was saying. Things along the lines of 'not a real Kryptonian', 'not my son' and 'He's a clone, a weapon. He's dangerous.' These phrases flowed from the mouth of, supposedly, the best of them all. He wasn't seeing it. All he wanted to do was punch Superman's lights out. Robin then brought him out of his 'Make Superman suffer' fantasy.

"So, who are you exactly? We don't even have a name to call you." He did make a valid point. He looked around to see the other three now paying attention to him.

"Names aren't really important. It's your actions that define you, not your title." He said cryptically. Robin looked about to ask another question, when the man suddenly looked up. "Look out. Boy scout incoming."

Superboy turned to face his genetic donor. They both looked identical, except for Superboy being smaller and younger looking. Superman was obviously very uncomfortable.

"Well, uh-we'll figure something out for you. The League will, I mean. For now, I'd better make sure they get that Blockbuster creature squared away." And with that, he turned and flew away. The rest of them simply stared up after him. Until the still-yet-unnamed man spoke what he thought of Superman.

"Arsehole"

The four tuned to him, wondering about the British slang, before Batman spoke up from behind them.

"Cadmus will be investigated, all 52 levels, but let's make one thing clear."

"You should have called." The Flash interrupted. Batman glared at the Scarlet Speedster before continuing.

"End results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct Orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again." The three sidekicks had the sense to look sheepish as he said this. The man thought that Batman was being harsh. How are the kids supposed to learn if you keep babying them? Aqualad then stepped up.

"I am sorry, but we will." He spoke with conviction.

"Aqualad, stand down" The ridiculously garbed Aquaman ordered his protégé.

Aqualad placed his hand over his chest in a sign of respect. "Apologies, my king, but no."

This caused Aquaman to raise an eyebrow in surprise. Aqualad never disobeyed orders.

"We did good work here tonight, the work you trained us to do. Together on our own we forged something powerful, important." He began to sprout righteous drivel that the man didn't much care for.

"If this is about your treatment at the hall, The 3 of you-" The Flash never got to finish, as the younger speedster cut him off.

"The 5 of us, and it's not!" The man then realised that he was included in this little debate. While he sure as hell wasn't for it, if it helped sell their point he was down. Plus, he had gotten slightly protective of them all. Especially Superboy.

Robin then took over. "Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us, or why teach us at all?" This statement, he agreed with. But he agreed with Superboy's even more.

"Why let them tell us what to do? It's simple. Get on board or get out of the way." He all but shouted, obviously still ticked off about Superman's reaction to his existence, and now his new friends were being berated by their mentors.

For a few moments, the two sides simply stared at one another. Batman's glare tightened.

"Give me three days." With that sentence, smiles spread across the young heroes faces. The man, who had been quiet during that little argument, decided to try and lighten the mood.

"Good speech guys. First class. However, next time you want to convince your mentors that you're ready for something, don't do it whilst looking like your half dead and standing in the ruins of what was a multimillion dollar building before you arrived." The heroes, both young and old, just stared at him. "I'm just saying." He was successful, as all for young heroes smiled tiredly at him.

Him speaking, however, brought the League's attention to him. Batman was the first to speak.

"Just who are you?" He demanded in that tone of his. You know, the kind of tone that makes people think you have eaten nothing but gravel for two years solid.

"Me? I'm just a guy." He spoke cheekily. He was going to have fun pissing off Batman.

The vigilante in question unleashed his signature Bat-glare. This didn't affect the man in the slightest. He had stared down worse after all. The League was shocked that someone so young could resist the Bat-glare.

"What's your name?" Batman, seeing that his glare wasn't working, rephrased his question. The man smiled.

"Are we sharing secret identities now B-man? I'm flattered."

Batman was a few seconds away from grabbing the smart-mouthed punk and making him talk. He was confident he could take him down, especially with his injuries. Fortunately, Flash came to his rescue.

"We just need to make sure we can trust you." He spoke calmly. The man's gaze drifted over to him. The sunglasses prevented him from seeing his eyes, but his face held no malice.

"And knowing my name changes that how?" He asked. This question threw Flash for a moment, he wasn't sure how exactly to answer. The man continued.

I mean if you really want to know my name you can. Just tell me yours in return." The man said this just to get a reaction. And boy did he get one. The Leaguers were angry that they should give away their secret identities to a complete unknown.

"That's not how this works. We need to know your name so that we know that we can trust you." Aquaman stated.

"That's why I asked." This caused everyone to stop and stare at the unknown.

"How do you mean?" Batman asked. The man crossed his arms.

"You said you want to know my name so that you can trust me. Well then, what's good enough for you is good enough for me." He said, the smile still on his face.

Black Canary was the first to realise what he was saying. "Are you saying you don't trust us?" She asked in disbelief. He looked at her now.

"Of course I don't. Trust is earned, not given. And so far all I've seen is a bunch of adults who think their entitled to know everything about someone just because they run around in spandex putting out fires and chasing bad guys. You think it entitles you to have everyone's trust." He then gestured to the four youngsters standing next to him.

"These four have earned my respect, and are a hell of a lot closer to earning my full trust than you are. You have just chastised them for showing initiative and uncovering a secret evil laboratory practically in your own backyard." He didn't let slip that he knew about the Watchtower. He wasn't THAT stupid.

"I won't give you anything about me. If they ask however..." He left the sentence there before beginning to walk away. He stopped next to the team he just fought alongside, dug into his pocket and produced a cheap flip phone. He handed it to Aqualad.

"Give me a call when you know what's happening. I'll be there." And with that he walked away. As he disappeared from sight, the sidekicks turned to their mentors. They all had different expressions; from indignation to confusion, realisation to downright angry. The four just looked at each other, wondering what they had unleashed upon themselves. In the distance, a loud growl echoed through the empty streets.

 **Mount Justice**

 **July 8** **th** **08:04**

As promised, three days later the newly formed team met in a place called Mount Justice, near the town of Happy Harbour, Rhode Island. They left the Zeta Tubes inside a mountain, where they could see various members of the Justice League moving things around and performing repairs. Hawkman, Black Canary, Red Tornado and Captain Marvel were waiting for them. They arrived with their mentors, Superboy with the Flashes. The team all wore civilian clothes.

Batman began to address them. "This cave was the original secret sanctuary Of the Justice League. We're calling it into service again. Since you 4 are determined to stay together and fight the good fight, you'll do it on League terms." He turned towards the robot and the screamer. "Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."

"Real missions?" Robin asked hopeful, yet wary.

"Yes, but covert." He answered. The Flash then took over.

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff. There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests." He said, pointing towards his own symbol for an example.

"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter. Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly." Aquaman added, looking to Batman to finish.

"The six of you will be that team."

Robin looked pleased. "Cool." But then Batman's wording registered. "Wait, six?" Batman looked behind them. They turned to see the Martian Manhunter walk out of the shadows, along with a young looking girl, about their age, with green skin, a blue skirt and a white shirt with a red cross in front. Batman then confirmed their suspicions.

"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece. Miss Martian."

"Hi." She waved, obviously nervous.

Kid Flash nudged Robin with his elbow. "Liking this gig more every minute." He muttered before walking towards the newcomer. "Welcome aboard. I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, Aqualad and Superboy. It's cool if you forget their names." He blatantly flirted with her. If she noticed, she didn't show it.

"I'm honoured to be included" She spoke formally. She obviously hadn't been on earth long and still spoke with the enunciated tone of someone still getting used to a new language. Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad walked over to talk, but Superboy stayed behind. Robin noticed this straight away.

"Hey, Superboy. Come meet Miss M." He beckoned the clone over.

Before he could however, something in Aqualad's pocket buzzed. It turned out to be the flip phone that the mystery man had given him. He opened it and read the text on the screen. He then turned to Batman.

"He is outside. He has a vehicle." Batman nodded and brought up the holographic console. With a few presses of the keys, he opened the main door to the garage, before walking off to meet him. The rest of the team followed. They arrived in the vehicle bay just as the man pulled up in his ride. It wasn't what they were expecting.

The car was a 1969 Dodge Charger in black. At one point it would have looked good, but several features had spoiled it. The driver's door was grey and the passenger door was rusty. The hood was a faded black and had a hole cut in the top for the air intake and supercharger. But the hole looked uneven and wonky. The air intake looked like it was made from scrap and then welded onto the supercharger by someone who had never welded before. The four holes in the intake were uneven and rusty. The tyres were worn and the chrome was scratched. The whole car had dings and dents in it. And to top it all off, steam was billowing from the engine bay.

As it rattled to a stop, the door opened and the man got out. He immediately opened the hood to get a face full of steam. Waving it away, he examined his boiling engine and swore. It only then occurred to him that he had company. Turning around, his shaded eyes met everyone else's.

"Sup." He said.

The four young heroes walked to greet him, with Miss Martian following close behind. He turned towards the young martian and examined her. She decided to introduce herself.

"Hi. My name's Miss Martian." She spoke shyly. The man just smiled.

"Hey dude. What do we call you?" Kid Flash spoke suddenly. All of the team looked towards the man in question. He thought for a moment, before smiling.

"I liked books by Anthony Horowitz when I was younger." He then turned to Kid Flash. "Call me Alex."

 **AN:** **A ridiculously long chapter today. Nearly 7,000 words total. Anyway, I want your guys' opinion. Should I add an extra character to the team? One of the female variety. I was thinking along the lines of Supergirl or Wonder Girl (Donna Troy). Let me know what you think. Anyway, don't forget to send me a review, it really helps to see what people think of my writing.**

 **Adios.**


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